During his speech, Senator Hatch said he is “optimistic” about the prospects for bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform in this Congress, and described the five working groups under the committee set with the task of finding workable solutions.
“I don’t believe tax reform is optional,” Sen. Hatch remarked. “It’s a necessity.”
The event convened a bipartisan panel of experts following the speech to discuss possible solutions and the prospects for reform. The panel, moderated by former Congressman Phil English, consisted of Scott A. Hodge, President of the Tax Foundation; Aruna Kalyanam, Minority Staff Director, Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, Ways and Means Committee; Donald Marron, Institute Fellow at the Urban Institute and former McCourt School Visiting Professor; and Daniel J. Mitchell, Senior Fellow at the CATO Institute.
The event, Tax Policy in the 114th Congress- Challenges and Opportunities, was the fifth in a series of “Public Policy Forums” hosted by the McCourt School and the law firm of McCourt Visiting Professor and former North Dakota Senator Bryon Dorgan, Arent Fox.