MASSDEVICE ON CALL — There will be no bid to repeal or postpone the medical device tax in the legislation under debate in Washington to extend certain tax cuts, according to the Connect public policy blog.
Citing "discussions with Senate staff," the blog said that Senate Republicans are eager to push repeal of the tax, a 2.3% levy on U.S. sales of prescribed medical devices. Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), a key Democrat who supports repealing the tax, "talked to Majority Leader [Sen. Harry] Reid (D-Nev). about it directly, and was shut down immediately," the blog reported.
"Republicans have tried to push Reid on it, but he has drawn a hard line around anything ACA-related on extenders," according to Connect. All that’s left vis-a-vis the medtech tax is a "messaging exercise," according to the blog.
That will be led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), another key anti-device-tax Democrat, who will introduce the repeal amendment. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a key device tax repeal proponent from the GOP side of the aisle, will co-sponsor the amendment, according to the blog.
"While the floor process and debate time is still uncertain, Hatch and Klobuchar will push to carve out time to raise and discuss during the debate on the extenders package," according to Connect.
Hatch called on his fellow lawmakers to address tax code reform, saying during a speech on the Senate floor that lack of support for repealing the medical device tax is akin to a lack of sympathy for efforts to keep jobs in the U.S.
"Given our ongoing experience with the medical device tax, I have to say I’m a little skeptical when my colleagues on the other side say they are concerned about American companies moving addresses and operations out of the country," Hatch said. "Indeed, if they were really so bothered by this, we’d have repealed the medical device tax long ago."
The Senate voted yesterday to begin debate over the tax extenders bill, which would maintain tax cuts 1st enacted 2 years ago.
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