28 June 2017 Hatch asks Finance members to focus on tax reform areas Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) on June 27, 2017, asserted that there will be "a robust process in the Senate for developing, considering, and passing any tax reform package" and announced that he has tasked Committee members with focusing on particular areas under tax reform. In a Senate floor speech, the Chairman said his goal was to "rebut the growing narrative in the media and elsewhere that tax reform is going to be a secretive exercise, involving the input of only a few key players." He said the meetings between the Administration and House and Senate leaders and tax writers in recent weeks to discuss tax reform at a high level may result in an agreed-upon framework, but "this will not be the be-all, end-all" of tax reform. — Senator John Thune (R-SD) to provide his thoughts and advice on the business tax system and the estate tax Hatch said "there are other issues out there as well," and over time he will enlist the help of other Committee members "to focus on particular tax issues and provide advice and assistance on crafting suitable reforms." He said the notion that tax reform will be "a closed-door exercise is absurd," and that every Republican member of the Committee is involved in the effort. Chairman Hatch said he has asked for participation from Democrats on the Finance Committee, who he said have accused Republicans of seeking tax breaks for the wealthy and set process demands as pre-conditions for bipartisan tax reform discussions. "In other words, we've heard our colleagues cite a number of reasons as to why they don't want to work with us on tax reform," he said. The June 27 speech follows Chairman Hatch's June 16 request for stakeholder input on tax reform to be submitted to the Committee by July 17.
Document ID: 2017-1027 | |||||
