WASHINGTON - It is known simply as “the pledge.†And if you are a Republican member of Congress, it has been considered heresy to do anything short of fully devoting yourself to its low-tax principles.
But as Congress gathers for its lame-duck session and confronts a serious set of economic and tax questions that could bring the country to the brink of the so-called “fiscal cliff,†one of the lingering questions is whether the pledge - drafted and enforced by Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform - will hold up.
Already there are indications it may not. According to a report in The Hill, the Capitol Hill newspaper, incoming members of Congress and even a few returning ones are refusing to honor it. The pledge calls for elected officials to oppose “any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates.â€
And, perhaps more critically, signing the pledge also includes vowing to oppose reducing tax deductions and credits. Members of both parties have signaled that they would be willing to accept a tax compromise that included eliminating certain deductions, especially those for high-income people, as opposed to a broad tax increase.
Mr. Norquist told The Hill he is not concerned that some members might walk away from the pledge. ““That doesn't keep me up at night.â€
