[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 181 (Tuesday, November 7, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7033-S7034]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               TAX REFORM

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on another matter, our complex Tax Code 
is in desperate need of reform, and we now have a once-in-a-generation 
opportunity to overhaul it. We all want an economy that reaches for its 
full potential again. We all want to support small businesses and the 
middle class. Tax reform represents the single most important action we 
can take today to advance goals such as these.
  I have heard from many Kentuckians calling out for relief from our 
outdated and burdensome Tax Code. Listen to this small business owner 
from Murray, KY, who wrote to my office about his struggles under our 
current Tax Code. This is what he said:


[[Page S7034]]


  

       I am writing to stress the importance of tax reform for 
     small businesses. As a small business owner, I have been 
     saddle[d] with tax burdens since I began my business over 8 
     years ago. Tax reform for small business and families need[s] 
     to be done immediately [so] we can have some economic hope 
     once again.

  Small businesses just like this one are calling out for relief. So 
are families. So are middle-class workers all across our country. 
Instead of better opportunities, our Tax Code gives them a complicated 
web of schedules, deductions, and regulations, a byzantine system that 
is easy for the wealthy and well-connected to exploit and impossible 
for almost anyone else to understand. It is time for a system that 
actually helps the middle class succeed and actually encourages small 
businesses to grow, invest, and hire.
  We want to help families plan for their future. We want to get the 
economy going again and growing again. Most of all, we want to take 
more money out of Washington's pockets and put more money in the 
pockets of the middle class. To accomplish these goals, both the House 
and the Senate are continuing to move forward to deliver tax reform. 
Yesterday, the House Ways and Means Committee completed its first day 
of discussing the House legislative proposal unveiled last week. That 
bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, builds upon the unified tax reform 
framework and reflects goals shared by President Trump, Republicans in 
the House, and our conference here in the Senate--priorities shared by 
Americans of both parties all across our country.
  Later this morning, a group of Senators, administration officials, 
and tax reform advocates will highlight the benefits of relief for 
families, small businesses, and the American economy. They will share 
their constituents' calls for tax reform.
  As they do, the Senate Finance Committee will continue its work on 
this important issue as well. Chairman Hatch will continue to lead the 
committee through an open process, giving members the opportunity to 
provide their input, offer amendments, and work together to take 
another big step forward.
  I am grateful for the work of both Chairman Brady and Chairman Hatch 
to get us to this point. We still have a lot of work to do, but we are 
committed to passing tax reform to help our Nation's economy reach its 
full potential.

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