US Tax Policy: What’s Staying, What’s Going, and What’s Next?

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Pat Brown, an International Tax Partner and Co-Leader of PwC’s Washington National Tax Services practice. Together, they unpack the state of US corporate tax policy in 2025, analyzing how regulatory, legislative, and geopolitical forces could shape the next era of taxation. Doug and Pat dissect the final regulations issued in the closing days of the Biden administration, including the controversial disregarded payment loss (DPL) regulations, finalized and proposed digital content and cloud sourcing rules, and updates on corporate basis-shifting transactions. With a new administration in power, they explore whether these rules will stand, be modified, or be repealed entirely—and what this means for business certainty and planning. The conversation then pivots to legislative challenges, as the expiration of key provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) creates a ticking time bomb for tax policy.  Finally, they tackle the international tax front, where the US f administration responds to the OECD’s Pillar Two and potential digital services tax (DST) retaliation under new proposals like Section 899.