February 6, 2017

 

The Honorable Paul D. Ryan

Speaker of the House

U.S. House of Representatives

H-232, The Capitol

Washington, D.C. 20515

 

The Honorable Kevin Brady

Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means

U.S. House of Representatives

1102 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, D.C, 20515

 

 

Dear Speaker Ryan & Chairman Brady:

On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write in support of your efforts to pass pro-growth tax reform into law in 2017. Given the importance of this issue, we believe is imperative that the House of Representatives make significant progress in the first hundred days of the Trump administration toward passing comprehensive, pro-growth tax reform.

Passage of tax reform that simplifies and updates the code is key toward encouraging economic growth, creating more jobs and higher wages, and promoting innovation and ingenuity. The release of your “Better Way” tax reform blueprint last year was the first step in achieving this important goal, and we encourage you to continue working to ensure tax reform becomes a reality. As you know, it has been more than 30 years since comprehensive tax reform was last signed into law. Since then, our foreign competitors have drastically reduced their rates, simplified their codes, and updated their systems to be globally competitive. Meanwhile, our tax code has almost tripled in size and has failed to keep pace with the norms of global tax competition. Tax reform should be viewed as an opportunity to reduce rates for all taxpayers while also repealing many of the discriminatory and preferential provisions in the code in favor of a broader base. Lawmakers also ought to repeal a number of unnecessary taxes like the Death Tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax, which only add to the complexity of the system. On the business side, tax reform should ensure our small businesses and corporations can compete against foreign competitors, while also ending the confusing, arbitrary system of depreciation in favor of immediate, full expensing of business investments.

Where possible, changes to the tax code should be permanent changes to law. When lawmakers have enacted short-term tax legislation in the past, it has inevitably come under threat in the future by legislators that want to increase the scope and size of government through higher taxes.

In contrast, permanent legislation will give families and businesses much-needed certainty and will help contribute to a stronger economy.

Today, pro-growth tax reform is needed more than ever. It is imperative that lawmakers prioritize an overhaul of the tax code in 2017 and make significant progress in the first hundred days of the Trump administration.

 

Sincerely,

 

Grover Norquist President, Americans for Tax Reform

Pete Sepp President, National Taxpayers Union

James L. Martin Founder & Chairman, 60 Plus Association

Dan Weber President, Association of Mature American Citizens

Lindsey Boyd Policy Director, Beacon Center of Tennessee

Jim Waters President, Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions (Kentucky)

Tom Schatz President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

Chip Faulkner Citizens For Limited Taxation (Massachusetts)

Chuck Muth President, Citizen Outreach (Nevada)

Katie McAuliffe Executive Director, Digital Liberty

Palmer Schoening Chairman, Family Business Coalition

Adam Brandon President and CEO, FreedomWorks

Mario H. Lopez President, Hispanic Leadership Fund

Carrie L. Lukas Managing Director, Independent Women's Forum

Heather R. Higgins President and CEO, Independent Women's Voice

Andrew Langer President, Institute for Liberty

Dr. Robert McClure President and CEO, The James Madison Institute (Florida)

Lisa B. Nelson President and CEO, Jeffersonian Project

Brett Healy President, The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy (Wisconsin)

Allen Gutierrez National Executive Director, The Latino Coalition

Seton Motley President, Less Government

Colin Hanna President, Let Freedom Ring

Dee Hodges President, Maryland Taxpayers Association

Brian McClung Chair, Minnesota Center-Right Coalition

Jordan Harris Executive Director, Pegasus Institute (Kentucky)

Charlie Gerow CEO, Quantum Communications (Pennsylvania)

Paul J. Gessing President, Rio Grande Foundation (New Mexico)

Andrew Moylan Executive Director, R Street Institute

Karen Kerrigan President & CEO, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council

David Williams President, Taxpayers Protection Alliance