AdvaMed asks Trump to repeal medical device tax

Scott Whittaker, president and CEO of Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) asks the president of the United States to support the repeal of medical device tax.

Previously we have reported on how the reinforcement of medical device tax could affect the sector and Whittaker's calls for the tax to be repealed.

Whittaker has written a letter to Donald J. Trump to ask for support before medical device excise tax comes in to effect on January 1st 2020.

In the letter Whittaker asks Trump to consider the threat that this tax increase will have on American patients, and how the economic effects could be devastating.

He also explains to the president how when the tax was in effect from 2013 to 2015, the U.S. Department of Commerce determined that nearly 29,000 jobs were lost, as well as some businesses all together. Whittaker goes on to point out how we will never know how many cutting-edge medical innovations were lost during that time period as a result of the medical device tax.

Additionally, medical device excise tax is calculated on sales and not profit, and therefore is particularly detrimental to small companies and start-ups. Whittaker informs Trump how businesses with 50 or less employees make up 80% of the industry .

Preventing a tax increase on health care would be "supporting a simple, common sense way to incentivise business activity, spur economic development, create jobs, and improve our health care system in one fell swoop", Whittaker concludes.

The letter can be read in full here.