Washington, D.C.– Congressman Erik Paulsen (MN-03) voted for, and the House approved, legislation that suspends the medical device excise tax for a two-year period in a vote Thursday afternoon. The provision was included in the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act, which also makes a number of temporary tax provisions permanent in order to give more certainty to American taxpayers. The medical device tax is a 2.3% excise tax on the sale of medical devices like pacemakers, ventilators, and artificial hips and was included in the Affordable Care Act, which passed Congress in 2010.    

Paulsen has long championed efforts to repeal the medical device tax in Congress, and legislation he authored, the Protect Medical Innovation Act, passed the House earlier this year by a bipartisan vote of 280-140. Last year, he authored an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal on the need to repeal the burdensome tax.

“Suspending the medical device tax will give much needed relief to our innovators and job creators that are developing life-saving and life-improving products,” said Paulsen. “Temporarily repealing this tax is welcome news for the hundreds of medical device companies in Minnesota and the tens of thousands of workers they employ. This bipartisan vote sets the stage to get rid of this burdensome, job-killing tax once and for all, and I’ll continue to lead the effort for its full repeal.”   

Paulsen spoke about the legislation on the House floor before the vote. Video is available here.

Congressman Paulsen, a champion of small business and advocate of free enterprise, entrepreneurship, and innovation, serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, the bicameral Joint Economic Committee, and is co-chair of the Congressional Medical Technology Caucus.

For more information on Congressman Paulsen’s work in Congress visit paulsen.house.gov. 

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