U.S. Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-OH), chair of the House Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, delivered opening remarks. "Federal tax policy has tremendous impact on businesses' ability to grow, expand, and hire," Tiberi said. "It's important to foster an open dialogue, so lawmakers have a clear understanding of how changes in the tax system affect American companies and for business owners to recognize the impact on their long-term operations and goals."

Dr. John Mayo, Executive Director of the Georgetown Center on Business and Public Policy and Professor at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, moderated the discussion while weaving in questions submitted by attendees via Twitter and text message. The discussion focused on how tax and trade policy affect business decisions; how companies settle on new investments in factories, workforce, and research and development (R&D); leveraging the global economic landscape to support growth; and other financial decisions related to the success of their companies.

Dr. John Mayo, Executive Director of the Georgetown Center on Business and Public Policy and Professor at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, moderated the discussion while weaving in questions submitted by attendees via Twitter and text message. The discussion focused on how tax and trade policy affect business decisions; how companies settle on new investments in factories, workforce, and research and development (R&D); leveraging the global economic landscape to support growth; and other financial decisions related to the success of their companies.

"Business has been the engine of the American economy," said panelist Bill Keitel, Executive Vice President and CFO for Qualcomm. "Particularly in this challenging period, we need sound policies that will drive new economic opportunities here at home and allow U.S. companies to compete more effectively with the rest of the world. Nothing is more central to making the U.S. a more prosperous nation."

"A competitive tax policy is an important catalyst for growth, not only for larger organizations but also for small and medium-sized businesses to grow and innovate," said Brian Gladden, Senior Vice President and CFO for Dell Inc. "Incentivizing R&D and encouraging growth for businesses of all sizes will help them expand in an increasingly global market and, most importantly, help spur job growth in the U.S. economy."

"Global companies make decisions on where to invest based on a network of factors, such as quality of workforce, proximity to customers, infrastructure, tax policies and trade policies," said Bob Fishman, senior vice president, CFO and chief accounting officer at NCR. "By focusing on these critical factors that influence corporate decisions, the U.S. government can help improve our country's ability to attract corporate investment and jobs in this competitive worldwide climate."

CPPI's public policy forum was the third in a series of events spotlighting policy issues affecting the global competitiveness of American businesses. The series fosters collaboration between government and industry, shapes the public debate on the proper role of government in promoting innovation, and seeks consensus to address these challenges in the future.