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St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton released the following statement regarding Joe Biden’s $7,500-a-plate fundraiser today in Edina.
“Returning to Minnesota for the first time since his St. Cloud ‘stimulus’ photo-op failed to improve business for a local company, Joe Biden will be in Edina to raise money for the DNC at $7,500-a-plate. Instead of more happy talk about the economy or another of his world famous gaffes, Biden needs to get serious and come out against the massive $40 billion Democrat job-killing tax increase which would damage Minnesota’s thriving medical device industry. Rather than punishing these Minnesota companies for their ground breaking technology, Biden should be celebrating their extraordinary contributions to the world. Minnesotans deserve to know where Joe Biden, and by extension President Obama, stand on this important Minnesota job-killing tax.”
$40 Billion Medical Device Tax Increases Would Hurt Minnesota Businesses:
Senate Finance Committee Bill Included $40 Billion Tax On Medical Device Industry. “The industry that makes wheelchairs, pacemakers and other medical devices has launched a lobbying blitz to kill a tax on its products proposed in a health care bill moving through the Senate. The $40 billion, 10-year tax is one of several new fees included in the Senate Finance Committee's health care legislation. It has drawn significant opposition from Democrats -- many of whom have large medical device makers in their states. Twenty House members from California, home to heart-valve maker Edwards Lifesciences, signed a letter asking the Senate Finance Committee to reconsider the tax. Senators from Minnesota and Indiana -- three Democrats and one Republican, in all -- sent a similar letter.” (John Fritze, “Medical device makers press Senate on tax,” USA Today, October 2, 2009)
- “Minnesota is home to some 300 medical device firms, including industry giant Medtronic Inc., St. Jude Medical Inc., two major divisions of Boston Scientific Corp., and hundreds of smaller firms. About 50,000 Minnesotans work in the industry.” (Janet Moore, “Klobuchar, Franken oppose device-firm tax,” Star Tribune, September 16, 2009)
Governor Pawlenty Blasted Tax On Medical Device Industry. “What you really should do is look at from five years out because that is when you get the full effects of the bill but also the other part of this is what price? That we will have a massive amount of tax increases in this bill in the form of taxes on individuals, taxes on employers, taxes on medical device manufacturers and more. And that's going to be a significant blow to the economy in Minnesota where the home of Medtronics, St. Jude Medical, we got a big piece of Boston Scientific here. Our medical device manufacturers here are saying this is a really bad idea for their industry and that's one of the best paying jobs in the country.” (FOX Business News, “Cavuto,” October 7, 2009)
Stimulus Point Man Biden Returns To Minnesota After First Visit Failed To Produce Boost For St. Cloud Company He Said Would Benefit From Stimulus:
“The trip will be Biden's second visit to the state as vice president, following his trip last March to the New Flyer bus manufacturing plant in St. Cloud. That plant expected to see a boost in orders from stimulus spending, but it had to have layoffs this summer.” (Kevin Diaz, “Robert Pohlad will host Joe Biden next week,” Star Tribune, October 7, 2009) |
