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Will Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter Hike Taxes on Deka Research and Development Workers in Manchester?

New Obama healthcare plan endangers 3,298 New Hampshire jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Buried in the latest government healthcare plan proposed by President Obama is a new tax on medical device manufacturers, who make everything from prosthetic limbs to pacemakers.  The bill imposes a new tax of $2 billion per year (rising to $3 billion in 2017) on the industry.  Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter will have a chance to vote on this bill later this year.

This new tax will particularly hit the Deka facility in Manchester, New Hampshire.  It employs 200 people—workers who may find themselves with a pink slip instead of a paycheck if this jobs-killing tax hike goes through.

“Washington politicians like to talk about jobs, but speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama want to raise taxes on the medical device industry that will kill jobs,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.  “Congresswoman Shea-Porter can talk all she wants.  Now she has a choice to vote with the Democrat leadership and kill jobs in New Hampshire or to summon the courage to vote against the Democrat leadership and protect those jobs.”

Statewide, there are 3,298 employees working for the medical device industry.  One out of every 192 workers in New Hampshire is employed in the medical device industry.  The average medical device worker in New Hampshire earns $40,400, higher than the state average of $33,900.  Statewide, there were $850,751 in medical device sales in New Hampshire in the latest reporting year.

Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter VOTED AGAINST this same tax hike just last year.  How will the Congresswoman vote this time?