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Nation's largest taxpayer group honors Foxx with Taxpayers' Friend award
Washington, DC,
April 16, 2008
The National Taxpayers Union today presented Congresswoman Virginia Foxx with the "Taxpayers' Friend Award" for her pro-taxpayer voting record in 2007. The 362,000-member, nonpartisan citizen group applauded Foxx for having the most
Contact: Aaron Groen Nation’s largest taxpayer group honors Foxx with “Taxpayers’ Friend Award” The National Taxpayers Union today presented Congresswoman Virginia Foxx with the “Taxpayers’ Friend Award” for her pro-taxpayer voting record in 2007. The 362,000-member, nonpartisan citizen group applauded Foxx for having the most “taxpayer friendly” voting record in North Carolina’s Congressional delegation. “Protecting North Carolina taxpayers’ money is a daily challenge in a Congress where compulsive tax-and-spenders hold the gavel,” Rep. Foxx. “But it is a fight worth fighting and I am pleased that the National Taxpayers Union has recognized my efforts on behalf of the taxpayers.”
The Taxpayers’ Friend award is presented to those members of Congress who achieve an “A” grade in NTU’s annual Rating of Congress. The rating, which is based on every Congressional roll call vote affecting fiscal policy, assigns a “Taxpayer Score” to each Member of Congress that indicates his or her support for reducing or controlling federal spending, taxes, debt, and regulation. For 2007, a total of 427 House and 182 Senate votes were selected. “Representative Foxx’s pro-taxpayer score of 89 percent was one of the best in the entire House,” Parde said. “By consistently voting to reduce federal spending, taxes, and debt, Foxx has led by example in the fight to ease the burden on taxpayers everywhere. This is an achievement for which she should be proud.” From 2006 to 2007, the average “Taxpayer Score” in the House fell four points to 35 percent. In the Senate, the average pro-taxpayer score fell 11 points to 37 percent. However, true “high performers” in Congress are always rare. In 2007, 52 lawmakers earned scores sufficient to win the Taxpayers’ Friend Award. Meanwhile, more than 260 Members captured the title of “Big Spender” for scoring 16 percent or less in the House and 14 percent or less in the Senate. Unlike those of other organizations, NTU’s annual Rating does not simplistically focus on only a handful of equally weighted “key votes.” For this reason, it has received praise from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including the late Senator (and “Golden Fleece Award” creator) William Proxmire (D-WI). “If every Member of Congress had voted as responsibly as Representative Foxx did in 2007, Americans could have enjoyed much lower taxes and less waste in government,” Parde said. “Overburdened taxpayers in North Carolina and across the nation owe Foxx a debt of gratitude for her hard work on their behalf. She has truly earned the title ‘Taxpayers’ Friend.’”
About the National Taxpayers Union: NTU is a nonpartisan, nonprofit citizen group founded in 1969 to work for lower taxes, smaller government, and economic freedom at all levels. Note: The 2007 Rating and a searchable Rating database from 1992 to 2006 is available at www.ntu.org. Read more: |
“While many Members of Congress talked about reducing the size of government last year, Congresswoman Foxx backed up those words with votes,” NTU President Duane Parde said. “This award proves that Foxx is a staunch ally we can count on in our battle to restore fiscal responsibility to Washington.”