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| Date: | Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:53:32 -0800 |
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Great IRS tax news for moms needing to purchase a breastpump. Just got this
from our Washington State breastfeeding coalition.
Judy
http://merkley.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=CB8E53F7-8DFA-47A6-9DDB
-8FEDCC8F25C2
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2011
CONTACT: Mike Westling (Merkley) – 202-224-7871
Justine Sessions (Harkin) – 202-224-7977
Josh Drobnyk (Levin) – 202-225-4961
Jon Houston (Maloney) – 202-225-7944
IRS Decision a Victory for Nursing Mothers Everywhere
Breastfeeding Equipment to be Allowed as Medical Tax Deduction and
Reimbursed by Flexible Health Spending Accounts
Washington, D.C. – In response to a request from Senators Jeff Merkley
(D-OR), Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Representatives Sander Levin (D-MI) and
Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced they
will reverse a ruling that denies equipment used to help women breast feed
from being covered as a health care expense. The previous ruling excluded
breast pumps from coverage under flexible health spending accounts and made
them non-deductible on tax returns.
Merkley, Harkin, Levin, and Maloney wrote to IRS Commissioner Douglas
Shulman in November to call for the decision to be reversed. Senators
Merkley and Harkin were joined by 9 other Senators; 32 other House members
joined Reps. Levin and Maloney.
In response to today’s decision, Senators Merkley and Harkin and Reps. Levin
and Maloney released the following statement:
“Today’s decision is a huge victory for nursing mothers everywhere. Modern
medicine has documented numerous health benefits linked to breastfeeding,
including a reduced risk of illness in infants and a reduced risk of cancer
in mothers. And because breastfeeding is so effective in preventing
disease, it also happens to save billions in health care costs. We thank
the IRS for their careful consideration and quick response.”
A PDF of the complete House members’ letter to Commissioner Shulman can be
found here; the Senate version is here. (They are identical.)
From Accounting Today:
http://www.accountingtoday.com/news/IRS-Reverses-Stance-Breast-Pumps-57256-1
.html?CMP=OTC-RSS&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
http://tinyurl.com/4jwtoue
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