“Taxpayer Issues Cross National Boundaries,” Williams says

(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today reported on the progress being made at an international conference of taxpayer groups.  CAGW Vice President David Williams is participating in the second European Resource Bank Meeting, which kicked off today in Vilnius, Lithuania.  Modeled after The Heritage Foundation’s annual event in the U.S. and organized by the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI), this meeting brings together activists to share ideas and strategy.

“The interests of taxpayers across the globe are interwoven by trade and the health of the global economy,” Williams said.  “We have much to gain by sharing our experiences of resisting big government and high taxes.”

Williams is making it a priority to alert his colleagues about how the European Commission’s (EC) case against Microsoft undermines intellectual property rights.  Earlier this week it was announced that the case will continue despite Microsoft reaching a settlement with RealNetworks, its last big competitor in the case.  CAGW warned that the EC is “skewering the marketplace with burdensome regulations and hurting taxpayers with costly litigation.”  In contrast, U.S. courts reached an agreement with Microsoft that did not set overbearing restrictions on future technology. 

Especially in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, the commitment to free enterprise is threatened by many factors, including corruption, nostalgia for socialism, and an attachment to unsustainable welfare states.  Think tanks and taxpayer groups are springing up to provide the intellectual and organizational muscle for advancing the cause of liberty and prosperity.   

“Government in all forms has an inherent tendency to grow beyond its means and overtax its citizens,” Williams continued.  “One of the most effective means of reversing this trend is by exposing and targeting the waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending.”

The existence of grassroots advocacy groups devoted to budget issues is comparatively rare in many parts of the world.  In America, CAGW is an outgrowth of the tradition of self-reliance and vigilance against government abuses that traces its roots to the Colonial Era.  Over 21 years, CAGW has helped save taxpayers $825 billion through the implementation of various cost-saving recommendations.  In the past seven years, CAGW has become more active in reaching out and sharing its expertise with like-minded groups from around the world. 

“This conference is about turning ideas into action.  For many participants, just the psychological effect of knowing that there are like-minded people around the world is invigorating,” Williams concluded.         

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.