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Yesterday, I posted a letter Pat Toomey wrote to Rudy Giuliani asking him to clarify an AP story suggesting that Giuliani was not ruling out tax increases as part of a compromise on Social Security. Today, the Giuliani campaign cleverly let Steve Forbes respond on behalf of Rudy. The bottom line is that Rudy would rule out tax increases.

Here's the full response:

Dear Pat,

Thank you for all of your work on behalf of American taxpayers. The Club and its members are truly fiscal champions, and with your help I hope we can continue to cut taxes and rein in wasteful Washington spending by electing Rudy Giuliani as our next president.

The actual transcript of The Associated Press interview makes it abundantly clear that Rudy Giuliani opposes all tax hikes, a point he made not once but twice. When asked by the reporter about Social Security, Rudy correctly said that this issue has been used as “a political football in the past” and proposed a bipartisan effort to make sure Social Security is there for retirees and for future generations. But when the reporter asked whether he was open to tax increases as part of the solution, Rudy said, “I am opposed to tax increases.” The reporter pressed again, asking “In terms of Social Security or across the board?” Rudy replied again, “I am opposed to tax increases.” Based on the Mayor’s record as a tax cutter and fiscal conservative – unparalleled in the Republican presidential field – we should not find this position unusual. He opposes tax increases and believes they are not the solution. There are many ways to say it, but it’s clear Rudy ruled out tax increases.

Specifically, Rudy’s record makes it clear that he is a supply-sider. He cut taxes 23 times – working with a Democratic City Council – while turning an inherited $2.3 billion dollar deficit into a multi-billion dollar surplus. This in turn spurred the private sector to create 423,000 new jobs, and helped cut the local unemployment rate in half by bringing businesses back to the center of New York City. And as the Club for Growth itself correctly assessed: “Overall, Giuliani’s record displays an intuitive appreciation for the vital role tax cuts play in growing the economy, as well as a deep-seated aversion to tax increases.”

Second, Rudy has consistently called for future tax cuts on the campaign trail – not just keeping the Bush Tax Cuts in place to stop the Democrats from imposing a $3 trillion tax increase on the American people – but additional tax relief, including reducing the corporate tax rate to keep America competitive in the global economy and giving the death tax the death penalty. That’s why one of his 12 Commitments to the American people is to “cut taxes and reform the tax code.”

Rudy was consistent in his opposition to tax hikes in the face of fiscal crisis as Mayor of New York, and he will be consistent in opposing tax hikes as President of the United States.

Sincerely,

Steve Forbes

National Campaign Co-Chair and Senior Policy Advisor

Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee

topics:
Taxes, Business, Social Security