Miller & Chevalier Chartered and the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) announced the results of their 2017 Tax Policy Forecast Survey, which reveals for the first time in 11 years significant optimism for comprehensive tax reform from leading tax executives at U.S.- and foreign-based companies. According to this year's results, tax reform is considered the top legislative priority for the Trump administration and it is no longer a question of if tax reform will happen, but when. Respondents believe President Trump will play a larger role in influencing tax policy than they expected President Obama would in previous years. In 2016, President Obama was seen as a distant third behind Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady. This year, President Trump scored near-equal to Speaker Ryan and higher than Chairman Brady. Respondents are concerned with provisions that raise revenue, but they also see the need and potential for tax reform. 42 percent of respondents rank the high statutory tax rate and 33 percent of respondents rank taxation of worldwide income as the top area of business tax concern, both of which would be alleviated by measures outlined in the House Republican Tax Reform Task Force "Blueprint."

The survey is led by Miller & Chevalier Member Marc J. Gerson, who is Vice Chair of the firm's Tax Department and former Majority Tax Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways & Means. Associate Sean Morrison* assisted the survey effort.

The survey was cited by Politico Pro Morning Tax, AccountingWEB, Morning Consult, Tax Notes Today, Accounting Today, and InsuranceNewsNet.  

*Former Miller & Chevalier attorney