The Georgia chapter of the grassroots free-market group Americans for Prosperity (AFP-GA) today applauded gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine for signing the group’s “No Climate Tax Pledge.” By doing so, Oxendine pledges to “oppose legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in federal revenue.”

Oxendine joins over 180 lawmakers on the federal, state and local levels who have signed the pledge. Other prominent Georgia signers include: U.S. Reps. Lynn Westmoreland, Tom Price, Paul Broun and Phil Gingrey; and Georgia State Senate President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson.

“The one thing elected officials should be able to agree on is that global warming shouldn’t be used as an excuse to hike taxes on citizens and businesses,” said AFP-GA State Director Jared Thomas. “We encourage all of Georgia’s elected officials and candidates for elected office to sign the pledge.”

Federal cap and trade legislation took its first steps toward passage last week when the Waxman-Markey energy bill was voted out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. President Obama has made no secret of his support for a cap-and-trade scheme, which would amount to the largest tax increase in American history. One version of the scheme, introduced last year by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John Warner (R-VA), is scored by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office as a net revenue increase of $1.2 trillion within just the first 7 years the bill is in effect.

“Using the guise of climate change to transfer dollars from hard-working citizens to bureaucratic big government is unacceptable,” said Thomas. “Regardless of their stance on global warming, this should be common ground for all of our elected officials at all levels of government.”

The pledge is available online at www.NoClimateTax.com. AFP does not endorse candidates. All elected officials and candidates are encouraged to sign the pledge and go on the record in opposition to using the climate change issue to increase taxes and grow the size of government.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the nation’s premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org