SACRAMENTO – Senator Ted Gaines (R-Rocklin) today announced that he has scored 100 percent on the California Taxpayers Association’s (CalTax) 2012 Voting Record. Gaines was one of only 29 state legislators out of the 120 Assembly and Senate members to receive the top score.

“I am honored to stand with taxpayers in the fight against the over-spending crisis that plagues Sacramento,” said Gaines. “As a small business owner, I know the hurdles and burdens hardworking taxpayers face every day. California should be creating opportunities for individuals and businesses to thrive, not stifling their growth with excessive taxes and onerous regulations.”

CalTax’s legislative report card is designed to hold lawmakers accountable for their actions and to inform taxpayers how their lawmakers represent them on key issues. Founded in 1926, CalTax is a non-partisan, non-profit organization whose mission is to protect taxpayers from unnecessary taxes and to promote government efficiency.

The 2012 Voting Record is based on a compilation of the highest priority bills on which CalTax took a position. Most bills used to evaluate and grade voting records dealt with tax increases or those that threatened taxpayer protections.

“I remain committed to defending taxpayers and opposing tax increases,” said Gaines. “California’s taxpayers deserve to keep their hard-earned money in their pockets, not to support Sacramento’s irresponsible spending.”

The 2012 CalTax Voting Record, with descriptions of the bills used in the report, is available at www.caltax.org.

Senator Ted Gaines represents the 1st Senate District, which includes all or parts of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento and Sierra counties.