Thursday, July 10, 2008

SFRC: Hearing on Tax, Marine Pollution, and Telecom Treaties

This afternoon, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on the following treaties:
  • Protocol Amending the Convention Between the United States of America and Canada with Respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital (Treaty Doc. 110-15);
  • Convention Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Iceland for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, and accompanying Protocol (Treaty Doc. 110-17);
  • Convention Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, with accompanying Protocol (Treaty Doc. 110-18);
  • International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships (Treaty Doc. 110-13);
  • 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (Treaty Doc. 110-5);
  • Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region, with Annexes (Treaty Doc. 110-1);
  • Amendments to the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunications Union, as contained in the Final Acts of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Antalya, 2006) (Treaty Doc. 110-16);
  • Amendments to the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunications Union, as contained in the Final Acts of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Marrakesh, 2002) (Treaty Doc. 109-11);
  • 1995 Revision of the Radio Regulations, with appendices, as contained in the Final Acts of the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-95) (Treaty Doc. 108-28);
  • Amendments to the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunications Union, as contained in the Final Acts of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998) (Treaty Doc. 108-5); and
  • 1992 Partial Revision of the Radio Regulations, with appendices, together with declarations and reservations of the United States as contained in the Final Acts of the World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC-92) (Treaty Doc. 107-17).

Witnesses included: Michael Mundaca (Deputy Assistant Secretary (International), Office of Tax Policy, Department of the Treasury); Emily S. McMahon (Deputy Chief of Staff, Joint Committee on Taxation, U.S. Congress); David A. Balton (Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Department of State); and Richard C. Beaird (Senior Deputy U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, Bureau for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs, Department of State). Links are to the witnesses' written statements.