FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, CONTACT: (202) 225-1721
April 3, 2000
FC-20
Congressman Bill Archer (R-TX), Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Committee will hold a hearing to consider fundamental tax reform proposals. The hearing will begin on Tuesday, April 11, and be continued on Wednesday, April 12, and Thursday, April 13, 2000, in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m. each day.
Oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include Members of Congress, prominent tax reform experts, well-known economists, and other interested parties. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.
BACKGROUND:
In the past several years a host of legislative proposals have been offered which would significantly change the kind of tax regime contained in the Internal Revenue Code. These include the flat tax, the national retail sales tax, and the USA and Simplified USA tax. Other ideas not yet in legislative form abound. In 1995, 1996, and 1997, the Committee on Ways and Means held extensive hearings on many of these specific proposals and more generally on the subject of fundamental tax reform. Leading advocates of specific legislation introduced as well as economists, business leaders, and Members of Congress testified. In particular, the Committee devoted considerable attention to both H.R. 1040, the flat tax proposal introduced by the Majority Leader Richard Armey (R-TX) and H.R. 1467 a retail sales tax proposal introduced by Rep. W.J. (Billy) Tauzin (R- LA).
Since those hearings, a number of new legislative proposals have been introduced. These include H.R. 134 by Rep. Phil English (R-PA) and H.R. 2525 by Rep. John Linder (R-GA) and
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) among others. This hearing will provide the opportunity for the Committee to consider these newer proposals as it has with prior proposals.
In announcing the hearing, Chairman Archer stated: "Over the past 5 years, I've made cutting taxes and simplifying the tax code a top priority. Still, the tax code is too complicated and confusing, and we need to get the IRS out of the lives of American taxpayers. That's why I'm proud to announce this three day hearing as part of the first ever Congressional summit on fundamental tax reform. We'll look at a host of new ideas which will eliminate our current tax code and replace it with something that is simpler and fairer. We need to rip the current tax code out by the roots so that it can never grow back."
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
The focus of the hearing will be on which tax system is best for America in the new millennium, with a particular emphasis on tax reform proposals that have been introduced since the last set of hearings in 1997. In particular, the Committee will want to hear from witnesses as to the relevance of these proposals to the international marketplace in which our companies and individuals must live and compete and whether these proposals meet the established criteria of being fair, simple, enforceable, and compatible with the other parts of the tax regimes which exist in America, namely State taxes.
DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:
Any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should submit six (6) single-spaced copies of their statement, along with an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or MS Word format, with their name, address, and hearing date noted on a label, by the close of business, Tuesday, April 25, 2000, to A.L. Singleton, Chief of Staff, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. If those filing written statements wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing, they may deliver 200 additional copies for this purpose to the Committee office, room 1102 Longworth House Office Building, by close of business the day before the hearing.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:
Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
1. All statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted on an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or MS Word format, typed in single space and may not exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.
2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.
4. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers where the witness or the designated representative may be reached. This supplemental sheet will not be included in the printed record.
The above restrictions and limitations apply only to material being submitted for printing. Statements and exhibits or supplementary material submitted solely for distribution to the Members, the press, and the public during the course of a public hearing may be submitted in other forms.
The
Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with
disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please
call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event
(four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to
special accommodation needs in general (including availability of
Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the
Committee as noted above.