WASHINGTON, DC – After months of bipartisan meetings and hearings on tax reform, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, today said the framework put forward by House and Senate leadership is a strong first step in providing critical tax relief to all Kansas families.

“There is widespread, bipartisan agreement on the need for tax reform,” Roberts said. “We ought to put aside partisan obstructionism, and take action on something in which a majority of Americans agree: Our tax code is burdensome, confusing and outdated.

“Many Kansas families are living paycheck to paycheck and need tax relief. They should be able to keep more of their hard-earned dollars to spend as they see fit.”

The framework contains the following unified tax reform goals:

• tax relief for middle-class families;
• tax relief for businesses, especially small businesses;
• ending incentives to ship jobs, capital, and tax revenue overseas;
• and broadening the tax base and providing greater fairness for all Americans by closing special interest tax breaks and loopholes.

“Tax reform is especially critical to grow small and medium sized businesses which are the major job creators in Kansas,” Roberts said. “Farmers and ranchers can benefit from reforms to expensing requirements and by elimination of the death tax. Tax reform will also allow American companies to be more competitive in a global economy and keep jobs from going overseas.”

According to a CNN poll, 68% say the federal income tax system needs either a major overhaul or significant changes. Broken down along party lines, 77% of Republicans, 70% of independents and 62% of Democrats want major changes.

The Senate Finance Committee has jurisdiction on taxes. In June, Finance Committee Chairman Orin Hatch appointed Senator Roberts to lead the committee’s examination of agriculture tax issues.

The House and Senate will each need to approve Budget Resolutions initiating the Budget reconciliation process to allow the Senate to consider tax reform with a 51-vote threshold.

Once the Budget Resolutions are approved, the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee will begin writing and marking-up the actual tax reform language.

To view a copy of the framework, go here.  

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