Marc Gerson was quoted extensively regarding prospects of tax reform in 2016. Reform is on the horizon, Gerson said, but the horizon likely extends beyond 2016. "The conventional wisdom is that tax reform will be difficult to move forward in an election year," he said. "The notion of members taking difficult votes on tax reform faces long odds. Moreover, as evidenced by the State of the Union address, the Administration doesn't see tax reform as high priority."

According to Gerson, in previous years, there was very cursory mention of tax reform in the State of the Union address; however this year "there was very little on tax and nothing on tax reform, so the fact that the Administration is not willing to engage in the topic makes the odds even longer for this year." Whether tax reform goes forward in 2017 depends on the results of the election, he said. "Depending on who controls the Senate, and who wins the White House, it could be a high-priority issue for the first term of a new President," he added.