It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of Richard M. Hammer, who served for 13 years as USCIB’s international tax counsel following a 40-year career at Price Waterhouse, one of the predecessor firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers. While at PW, he also chaired USCIB’s Taxation Committee for many years. Hammer passed away on October 7 at age 84.

“Dick Hammer was a leading light in global tax policy,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “He brought a career’s worth of insight into the intricacies of multinational tax practice, the details of tax treaties and the importance of the multilateral structures that uphold them. What’s more, he was a true friend and mentor, especially to the USCIB staff members who worked with him and came to trust his wisdom and guidance.”

For 16 years, Hammer chaired the Taxation Committee of the OECD’s Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC), through which the business community provides input to the OECD and its member governments on vital international tax issues. He advised the governments of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation on the modernization of their tax systems, and he made major contributions to China’s tax law and regulation, serving as an advisor to the Chinese government from 1981 to 1993. He also acted as consultant to the Barbados ministry of international trade and has served as president of the International Fiscal Association, the premier global tax think-tank.

Memorial services were held for Hammer today in New York. He is survived by his wife Ellen, by his son Jeffrey and Jeffrey’s wife, Heidi, and by three grandchildren. Friends and colleagues of Dick Hammer are encouraged to sign an online guest book.