House debates tax deductible dietary supplements
purchase dietary supplements and medicinal foods has been referred
to the Committee on Ways and Means in the House of Representatives.
A new bill in the US that could give tax breaks to employees who purchase dietary supplements and medicinal foods has been referred to the Committee on Ways and Means in the House of Representatives.
The "Dietary Supplement Tax Fairness Act of 2001" (HR3475) was introduced last week. It would require health insurance plans to cover dietary supplements, medical foods and foods for special dietary needs as medical expenses.
Earlier this year two senators introduced a similar an identical bill. The bills propose that alternative health care options would be tax deductible for employers and should be excluded from employees' taxable income. In addition, parents would be financially covered to pay for dietary needs for children experiencing such maladies as AIDS and autism.
Both bills stipulate that such foods and supplements must comply with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) applicable good manufacturing practices (GMPs). When Harkin and Hatch introduced the Senate bill, they also sent an accompanying letter that pressed FDA to approve the long-stalled federal GMPs.
