NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The conservative group Americans for Tax Reform is informing Tennessee lawmakers that a vote for Gov. Bill Haslam's road funding proposals will not violate their pledges to not raise taxes.
The Republican governor's plan would include the state's first gas tax hike since 1989, but would also make a variety of tax cuts in other areas.
The group founded by conservative activist Grover Norquist sent a letter to House and Senate members saying that the most recent version of the measure advancing in the upper chamber includes more tax reductions than increases. The Senate also removed a provision to link fuel taxes to inflation.
The Americans for Tax Reform supported gas tax increases in New Jersey and South Carolina when they were coupled with tax relief.