POLISCOPE
Back to feed
FEDERALhearing transcript

Senate Hearing: Building a Competitive U.S. International Tax System

Original title: BUILDING A COMPETITIVE U.S. INTERNATIONAL TAX SYSTEM

January 1, 2016

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

The Frame

What this does

This hearing served as a foundational step for potential legislative changes to corporate tax rates and international tax structures, which directly impact how U.S. multinational corporations manage earnings and investment.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

U.S. Multinational Corporations

These entities are subject to U.S. international tax laws and would be directly impacted by any changes to tax rates or repatriation rules.

U.S. Taxpayers

Changes to the corporate tax system can influence domestic investment, job creation, and federal revenue.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2016.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on March 17, 2015, to discuss potential reforms to the U.S. international tax system. Senators and expert witnesses examined how current tax rates and regulations affect the competitiveness of American businesses in the global market.

Key Facts

  • The hearing was held on March 17, 2015, by the Senate Committee on Finance.
  • The committee established a specific working group to focus on international tax reform.
  • Chairman Hatch stated that the U.S. corporate tax rate is currently the highest in the developed world.
  • The committee discussed the issue of 'locked out' earnings, where U.S. multinational corporations keep profits abroad rather than reinvesting them domestically.
  • The hearing addressed the increasing mobility of capital, labor, and intangible assets in the global economy.
  • Witnesses included representatives from private tax services, corporate tax departments, and academia.

Why It Matters

This hearing served as a foundational step for potential legislative changes to corporate tax rates and international tax structures, which directly impact how U.S. multinational corporations manage earnings and investment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the purpose of this hearing?
To gather expert testimony and discuss potential reforms to the U.S. international tax system to improve business competitiveness.
Did this hearing result in a new law?
No, this was a hearing to gather information and testimony for the Senate Finance Committee's tax reform working groups.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Lobbying Activity

AARP

$4,110,000

2026

HEALTH ISSUESMEDICARE/MEDICAIDLAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIME/CRIMINAL JUSTICEPHARMACY

P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology

Sponsors

Show 1 more sponsor

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Focus on Intangible Assets

The hearing highlights a shift in focus toward the mobility of intangible assets as a primary driver for international tax reform discussions.

Connected Entities

personAnthony SmithWitness, VP of Tax and Treasurer at Thermo Fisher ScientificMap →
personOrrin G. HatchChairman of the Senate Finance CommitteeMap →
personStephen E. ShayWitness, Professor of Practice at Harvard Law SchoolMap →
personRon WydenRanking member of the Senate Finance CommitteeMap →
personPamela F. OlsonWitness, U.S. Deputy Tax Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLPMap →
personRosanne AltshulerWitness, Professor of Economics at Rutgers UniversityMap →
organizationSenate Committee on FinanceThe committee conducting the hearingMap →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance60
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy40
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz15
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record