WASHINGTON DC – Last night the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) Foundation hosted its annual World Trade Dinner and Awards Ceremony at the Planet Word Museum in Washington DC. This year, the Foundation honored Senators Chris Coons and Todd Young and Ms. Grace Perez-Navarro, OECD Director of the OECD’s Centre for Tax Policy and Administration.
NFTC President Jake Colvin delivered opening remarks and called on those in attendance to continue their work “to ensure that there are commercially-meaningful outcomes across the variety of trade and tax initiatives that are already underway” in Congress and the Administration while emphasizing that “it is critical for the United States to maximize its leadership in the global economy to fulfill our shared ambitions for American businesses and workers.”
The first honoree of the night, Senator Todd Young, was recognized for his work in keeping digital trade at the forefront of U.S. trade policy. During his remarks, he emphasized the need to “move forward boldly with our partners and allies and forge closer agreements, rules that democratic, freedom loving countries, consultatively and in concert with one another, develop, as opposed to vacating the playing field.”
Senator Chris Coons was honored with the World Trade Award for his work in advocating for ambitious U.S. leadership in setting the rules of the road on trade. In his remarks, he called for working with our allies to “develop global rules rooted in democratic values,” adding that “this can be another American century, and I’m convinced that trade, free trade, fair trade, trade that advances not just our interests, but our values, is very much at the center of that.”
During her remarks, Ms. Grace-Perez Navarro, this year’s International Tax Award honoree, highlighted the importance of a multilateral approach to addressing global taxation challenges, adding that the need for joint action is not too dissimilar for multilateral actions on trade. Regarding the OECD’s Pillar One and Two Process, she emphasized; “if we don’t have international tax rules that are applied in a consistent manner, we will be back to a situation of double or multiple taxation.”
The dinner also included remarks from Leslie Griffin, President of the NFTC Foundation and NFTC Foundation Vice President Lindsey Grossman.
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About the NFTC
The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) is the premier business association advancing trade and tax policies that support access to the global marketplace. Founded in 1914, NFTC promotes an open, rules-based global economy on behalf of a diverse membership of U.S.-based businesses.
