“The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has a long record of advocating for taxpayers and I am honored to stand with them in the fight against higher taxes,” said Gaines. “California still has the 49th worst tax climate in the country with a $13 billion deficit. We should be providing incentives for entrepreneurs to start their businesses here and create private sector jobs, not stifling them with onerous taxes and burdensome regulations.”

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association’s annual legislative report card is designed to help Californians determine how state legislators act on major tax and fiscal legislation, and to hold elected officials accountable for anti-taxpayer votes. Founded by Proposition 13 architect and taxpayer advocate Howard Jarvis, the taxpayers association is the most respected and influential tax-fighting organization in California.

For the 2011 legislative season, 22 bills were used to evaluate and grade voting records. Most bills dealt with tax & fee, initiative, and energy ratepayer issues.

“I remain committed to making sure that Sacramento’s years of irresponsible spending aren’t thrown on the backs of hard-working taxpayers,” said Gaines. “I will continue to push for lower taxes and simpler, less burdensome regulations to let employers know that California is open for business in order to get our economy back on track.”

To view a copy of the legislative report card, visit http://hjta.org/legislative/report-cards/.

Gaines also received a 100 percent score on the California Taxpayers Association’s 2011 Voting Record.

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.