Organized Dentistry Coalition supports PPE tax credit legislation

Washington — The Organized Dentistry Coalition is supporting a new bill calling for a $25,000 tax credit for small businesses, including dental practices, to purchase personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

In a July 1 letter to Reps. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, Mike Quigley, D-Ill., and John Joyce, R-Penn., the dental groups thanked the lawmakers for introducing HR 7216, the Small Business Personal Protective Equipment Tax Credit Act.

If enacted, the bill would provide small businesses with a “much-needed tax credit” of up to $25,000 for the purchase of gloves, medical masks, N95 respirators, eye protection, gowns and aprons, boots or closed-toe work shoes, cleaning detergents, hand sanitizers, cleaning products and tools, as well as the retrofitting or installation of equipment.

“This credit would greatly help to mitigate the increased cost of personal protective equipment,” the coalition wrote. “At a time when dental practices are just starting to see their patients return and are trying to overcome the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, this type of credit could help to ensure that dental practices can stay open, retain and rehire their employees, and provide their patients with care.”

For more information about the ADA’s advocacy efforts during COVID-19, visit ADA.org/COVID19Advocacy.