While some Democrats have called for higher taxes on the wealthy, lawmakers have focused on areas such as so-called unrealized gains, or investment growth, rather than deferred income, said William McBride, vice president of federal tax policy at the Tax Foundation.

“Deferred income runs throughout the tax code,” such as income from your 401(k) or executive compensation, he said.

If Congress enacted restrictions on deferred income, it would “put the state in a worse position in terms of its ability to collect revenue from these high earners and star athletes because they wouldn’t be there,” McBride said.