[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 129 (Thursday, September 23, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H6883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HEALTH CARE TAX INCREASE
(Mr. TURNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, last March I voted against ObamaCare, the
government takeover of health care, in part because it imposed over
half a trillion dollars of additional taxes, fees, and costs on an
already struggling U.S. economy. Throughout the year-long debate, small
business owners in my district and across the country expressed
concerns that the bill would increase their health care-related costs.
While back in my district this August, I encountered businesses
already preparing to face the consequences of the over 2,000-page
health care bill. Ferno-Washington, Inc., is an emergency and medical
equipment manufacturing company that is based in Wilmington, Ohio, in
my district. The company is preparing for the health care bill's new
2.3 percent excise tax on the sale of medical devices.
The business leaders at Ferno estimate the cost of the tax puts at
risk 23 jobs. Also, they are concerned that this tax will reduce their
ability to fund research and development to produce cutting-edge
advanced products.
In Clinton County, the unemployment rate hovers around 17 percent. We
cannot afford the impact of ObamaCare's tax increases upon businesses
like Ferno. We need to replace ObamaCare.
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