Republican congressional candidate Bob Turner signaled a shift on his economic policies, moving away from a pledge he made last year to avoid raising taxes.
On the Brian Lehrer Show this morning, around the 16:30 mark, the WNYC host asked “So, you won’t sign the Grover Norquist ‘no new taxes under any circumstances’ pledge?”
Turner, who signed it in 2010, said: “Um, I would hate to part with Grover’s money, but it’s probably, I’m pretty close to that. That in the grand scheme, I think the Republicans are happily saying ‘Well, we’re not increasing taxes, we’re just closing loopholes. I like that terminology better than raising taxes. But the reality is, revenue will be increased.”
Last week, Turner broke with some fiscal conservatives when he said he would not have voted for Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget, which the candidate said went too far in cutting funds for entitlement programs.
Representatives for Turner and Norquist did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
