Taxpayers Protection Alliance Explained

Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Formation:2011
Type:Advocacy group
Headquarters:Washington, D.C.
Leader Title:President
Leader Name:David Williams

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance is a non-profit advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. The group monitors federal spending[1] and issues reports, research, and analyses on spending and taxation it believes to be in excess.[2]

History

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) was founded in 2011[3] with David Williams as its president[4] (a title he continues to hold as of June 2022).[5] In November of that year, the TPA was one of five taxpayer advocacy groups to sign a letter calling for a 10% reduction in pay for Congress members.[6]

In April 2012, the TPA and other groups called on Republican presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich, to relinquish his Secret Service protection. Gingrich lost his protection the following week.[7] Over the course of 2013 and 2014, the organization issued reports on topics like the public costs of LEED certification.[8] The group also began levying criticism against municipal broadband projects using fiber-optic cables for connectivity.[9]

In September 2015, the TPA issued a report called "Sacking Taxpayers: How NFL Stadium Subsidies Waste Money and Fall Short on Their Promises of Economic Development"[2] which detailed the amount of money spent by taxpayers on publicly subsidized National Football League stadiums.[1] Later that year, the organization issued a report (in conjunction with the Animal Justice Project) on the taxpayer costs associated with scientific experiments that administer narcotics to animals.[10] The TPA also issued criticisms of the United States Postal Service[11] because it was operating in debt.[12] In 2017, the group started a social media campaign to oppose a proposed municipal broadband project in Louisville, Kentucky, claiming that the cost outweighed the benefits.[13]

In July 2018, TPA president David Williams wrote an open letter to the White House that was critical of the Trump administration's issuance of tariffs as part of the United States' ongoing trade war with China.[14] In April 2019, the organization itself wrote a joint letter (with Tariffs Hurt the Heartland) to Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, condemning the tariffs.[15]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Taxpayers Have Spent A 'Staggering' Amount Of Money On NFL Stadiums . Waldron . Travis . 10 September 2015 . HuffPost . 17 July 2019 .
  2. Web site: Study: Building New Stadium Is a Terrible Idea . Togerson . Derek . 10 September 2015 . KNSD . 17 July 2019 .
  3. Web site: David Williams . https://web.archive.org/web/20160820181809/https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/david-williams1. 20 August 2016. Huffington Post UK . 17 July 2019 .
  4. Web site: Are taxpayers getting their money's worth? . Biggs . Andrew G. . Slobodien . MacMillin . Williams . David . 27 July 2011 . American Enterprise Institute . 17 July 2019 .
  5. Web site: Conservative groups push Congress not to meddle with internet law . Kelly . Makena . 10 July 2019 . The Verge . 17 July 2019 .
  6. Web site: 'Shared sacrifice': Should Congress cut its pay, benefits? . Hornick . Ed . 16 September 2011 . CNN . 17 July 2019 .
  7. Web site: Report: Gingrich's Secret Service Protection To End . Sale . Anna . 26 April 2012 . NPR . 17 July 2019 .
  8. Web site: It isn't easy - or cheap - being green: LEED standards are expensive, ineffective . 3 April 2013 . Times Free Press . 17 July 2019 .
  9. Web site: Is public broadband a threat to taxpayers? Let towns decide . Roberts . Jeff . 15 January 2015 . GigaOM . 17 July 2019 .
  10. Web site: $150 million spent on tests that torture animals, don't help humans . Howell . Kellan . 5 November 2015 . The Washington Times . 17 July 2019 .
  11. Web site: Why the USPS Forever stamps aren't living up to their name . Picchi . Aimee . 8 April 2016 . CBS News . 17 July 2019 .
  12. Web site: Debt-plagued U.S. Postal Service eyes bipartisan bill to solve woes . Miller . Ryan W. . 1 March 2017 . USA Today . 17 July 2019 .
  13. Web site: Pushback for high-speed fiber project in Kentucky highlights political battle over broadband . Maddox . Teena . 8 June 2017 . TechRepublic . 17 July 2019 .
  14. Web site: From hammers to hair clippers: How Trump's trade war with China will affect you . Malito . Alessandra . 30 September 2018 . MarketWatch . 17 July 2019 .
  15. Web site: Pro-trade groups slam Trump tariffs on Tax Day . Elis . Niv . 15 April 2019 . The Hill . 17 July 2019 .