Americans for Tax Reform

Americans for Tax Reform (abbreviated ATR) is an American lobby group, advocacy and a think tank based in Washington, the aim of claims to a control system is said to be " simpler, flatter and more visible than the current tax system ."

ATR was founded in 1985 from the environment of Ronald Reagan's administration. Co-founder and president of the conservative activist Grover Norquist tax. Originally, the purpose of the initiative was to support a legislative initiative by President Reagan to cut the top rate of income tax, but with limited success. ATR is today, however, as one of the most influential interest groups in the United States: The German Financial Times called ATR President Norquist 2011 as the " most dangerous Obama's opponent " in the Financial Crisis of 2011.

Taxpayer Protection Pledge

Since 1986, the organization is running a campaign for the Taxpayer Protection Pledge (English about: Taxpayer Protection Oath ), a written promise in which a deputy or a candidate for the office of a deputy, agrees to vote against tax increases. There are different versions of the oath.

In July 2011, there were in the 112th Congress of the United States 235 deputies and 41 senators who signed the oath. On the subject of tax increases wrote ATR President Norquist 2009:

The Taxpayer Protection Pledge has become an important campaign tool. Conservative and libertarian voters by political commentators like Dick Morris, openly encouraged to support in the primaries only candidates who have signed the oath.

The Wednesday meetings

After the election of Bill Clinton as President of the United States ATR an informal meeting of conservative politicians began weekly Wednesday mornings always to organize, are discussed on the political strategies.

The Wednesday meeting of the so-called Leave Us Alone Coalition of homeschoolers, gun laws, regulations and tax activists quickly became a firm date for conservative politicians, think tanks, conservative groups and lobbyists and is now considered an important aspect in the development of the so-called Tea Party movement. The Wednesday meetings are generally headed by Grover Norquist.

Following the example of the Washington Wednesday meetings and other conservative groups have organized themselves in the U.S. and also meet on Wednesdays.

Projects

• Ronald Reagan Legacy Project, a project that operates a "reasonable " public acknowledgment of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan in every county of the United States and every formerly Communist country.

• International Property Rights Index, a project that the protection of so-called " property rights " measures and compares internationally.

• Cost of Government Day, a day of remembrance, to the works according to the calculation of the Organization of Citizens for the State (see taxpayer Memorial Day ).

Link with other groups and organizations

ATR is a member of the Cooler Heads Coalition, which rejects climate protection measures and considers the impact and evidence of the existence of climate change for scientifically dubious.

In addition, there are links to specific projects that are dedicated to specific topics, including investor protection association The American Shareholders Association (ASA ), the union critical Alliance for Worker Freedom ( AWF ), and the market-friendly and regulation -critical The Media Freedom Project ( MFP).