MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) called on fellow lawmakers to repeal the medical device tax, saying that striking the levy is among his top legislative priorities for the year.
Coats has aligned himself with repeal efforts in the past, calling the tax a job-killer and an unfair burden on the 300 medical device makers operating in his state which employ around 20,000 people and pay wages more than 40% higher than the state average
Coats expressed optimism that fellow Senators could join forces to repeal the tax, such as through support for Senate bill 232, the "Medical Device Access & Innovation Protection Act," which just last month added its 38th sponsor.
Other attempts to repeal the tax have similarly drawn supporters from both sides of the aisle, although questions of how to make up for the $30 billion in anticipated revenue have kept any measures from moving forward. Previous pay-for proposals have rubbed Democrats the wrong way, and President Barack Obama has on more than 1 occasion promised to veto a device tax repeal bill should one land on his desk.
Coats is also looking to delay the Affordable Care Act’s individual insurance mandate and simplify the tax code, according to Indiana Public Media.
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