(Alexandria, Va.) -- The 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU) today announced it has awarded thousands of dollars in grants to help launch nine state- and local-level taxpayer groups from Florida to New Hampshire and points in between. NTU initiated its "Standing Together" Taxpayer Grant Program in January to provide financial assistance and ongoing guidance to citizen activists who are serious about lowering taxes and limiting government in their home town or state.
"NTU is pleased to offer any help we can to these hard-working groups, which will lead an often difficult battle against higher taxes and big government in cities and states across the country," NTU President Duane Parde said. "Our staff and our 362,000 members throughout the nation are proud to 'stand together' with these nine new partners in the movement toward limited government."
The grant recipients include five state-level taxpayer-advocacy groups and four local ones, with goals ranging from fighting skyrocketing property taxes to promoting government spending transparency to enacting tax and expenditure limitations. The new state organizations are: Florida Taxpayers Union, Kentucky Taxpayers United, Mississippi Forward, Missouri Liberty Coalition, and Taxpayers Union of Louisiana. Local-level groups include: Bay County Taxpayers Association (Michigan), Clarke County Taxpayers and Property Owners Association (Georgia), Edenville's Concerned Citizens (Michigan), and Raymond NH Taxpayers Association (New Hampshire).
In addition to financial assistance for startup costs, NTU staff will provide support and consultation on everything from publication design to ballot-measure drafting. The Florida Taxpayers Union and NTU sent a joint letter to the State Legislature in April urging lawmakers to place a 1.35 percent property tax cap on the November ballot, and the Taxpayers Union of Louisiana last month helped defeat a $28 million pay raise for state legislators. Other groups have expressed interest in everything from educational efforts to rallies to policy analysis.
Grant recipients also will receive a copy of NTU's official guide, "Standing Together: How to Form a State or Local Taxpayer Group," a one-time complimentary use of NTU's mailing list in their area, and one free registration to the 2009 National Taxpayers Conference sponsored by NTU's research and educational affiliate. The "Standing Together" Taxpayer Grant Program is an ongoing project, and NTU accepts applications on a rolling basis.
NTU is a nonpartisan, nonprofit citizen organization founded in 1969 to work for lower taxes, smaller government, and economic freedom at all levels. Note: For more information on NTU's "Standing Together" Taxpayer Grant Program, visit www.ntu.org.