SERVING MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL / MINNESOTA
Donate Now Sustaining Member

MinnPost thanks these major sponsors:




Sponsor of
Second Opinion


Sponsor of
Community Sketchbook


Our major advertisers


Our in-kind partners

Search Engine Marketing

MinnPost thanks these generous donors:

INDIVIDUALS AND FOUNDATI0NS
Blandin Foundation
Otto Bremer Foundation
Bush Foundation
Sage & John Cowles
David & Vicki Cox
Toby & Mae Dayton
Jack & Claire Dempsey
Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation
Sam & Stacey Heins
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Joel & Laurie Kramer
Lee Lynch & Terry Saario
Martin & Brown Foundation
The McKnight Foundation
The Minneapolis Foundation
The Saint Paul Foundation
Rebecca & Mark Shavlik

(See all donors here.)

D.C. Dispatches by Cynthia Dizikes

  • Switch to Small Text Size
  • Switch to Medium Text Size
  • Switch to Large Text Size
Email Print Submit a Comment

    Franken bill would end company tax breaks for pharmaceutical marketing

    By Cynthia Dizikes | Published Thu, Oct 8 2009 5:36 pm

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Al Franken, who sits on the Senate Health Committee, introduced a bill today that would end tax breaks to companies for direct-to-consumer health-products advertising and marketing to health care providers.

    Pharmaceutical companies currently receive billions of dollars in tax breaks for product promotion.

    “This legislation will remove these benefits so pharmaceutical companies can focus on developing new drugs, not excessive marketing schemes,” Franken said in a statement.

    He added that “there’s no reason for drug companies to be getting a boost from taxpayers while Minnesota families are struggling to pay the costs of health care.”

    Franken estimates that the federal government could save $3.5 billion a year by nixing these tax breaks.

    Washington Bureau | Thu, Oct 8 2009 5:36 pm | 2 Comments

    Like what you just read? Support high-quality journalism in Minnesota by becoming a member of MinnPost.

    Advertisement:

    2 Comments: Hide/Show Comments

    E-mail address

    Password

     

    Forgot Password? | Register to Comment

    MinnPost does not permit the use of foul language, personal attacks or the use of language that may be libelous or interpreted as inciting hate or sexual harassment. User comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure that comments meet these standards and adhere to MinnPost's terms of use and privacy policy.

    We intend for this area to be used by our readers as a place for civil, thought-provoking and high-quality public discussion. In order to achieve this, MinnPost requires that all commenters register and post comments with their actual names and place of residence. Register here to comment.

    Illustration by Hugh Bennewitz

    minnpost.com/cynthiadizikes


    Cynthia Dizikes is MinnPost's Washington, D.C., correspondent and covers Minnesota's congressional delegation and reports on developments out of Washington that are important to Minnesota readers. She received her master's degree in journalism from UC Berkeley and has worked as an intern in the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau, reporting on a variety of topics, and as a reporter for the Anniston Star in Alabama. Her work has also appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Oakland Tribune, Congress Daily and on National Public Radio. She can be reached at cdizikes [at] minnpost [dot] com.

    Recently published posts by Cynthia Dizikes