Escrito por Peggy Noonan (Jack Kemp sugirió la idea básica) y leído por Bush durante su discurso de aceptación de la candidatura a la presidencia por el Partido Republicano el 18 de agosto de 1988. Incumplió la promesa en un acuerdo presupuestario con los demócratas en 1990. En 1992, los republicanos y la campaña de Clinton criticaron a Bush por ello.
Original: «And I'm the one who will not raise taxes. My opponent now says he'll raise them as a last resort, or a third resort. But when a politician talks like that, you know that's one resort he'll be checking into. My opponent won't rule out raising taxes. But I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes and I'll say no. And they'll push, and I'll say no, and they'll push again, and I'll say, to them, "Read my lips: no new taxes».