Congress Should Promptly Scrap Medical Device Tax

Federal excise taxes usually have clear-cut policy objectives. For example, the tobacco tax combats smoking, a habit that kills people and drives up medical costs. The alcohol tax addresses the social ills arising from alcohol abuse and the gasoline tax makes drivers pay for the roads that they use. But what policy objective is served by a tax on pacemakers, hospital beds, MRI systems, and X-ray machines?