It’s time for real action, not a symbolic vote.

On one hand, we applaud the 79 U.S. senators who voted March 21 in support of repealing a 2.3 percent tax on sale of medical devices. But can we have a vote on actually repealing the measure?

The tax was implemented as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act but has been controversial because of the heavy burden it places on an industry that should be focused on innovation, not taxation.

The Medical Device Manufacturers Association estimates that the tax already has cost medical-device manufacturers — including some in the Boulder Valley — $388 million since its implementation Jan. 1, with estimates that the cost could reach $30 billion over a decade, threatening 43,000 jobs.

Pressure has been building to repeal the tax, resulting in a nonbinding 79-20 Senate vote to do so. (Colorado Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet voted in support of repeal.) The key word there is “nonbinding.” The measure essentially allowed senators to express their support for repeal, without actually doing so.

Still, some opponents of the tax were encouraged. “… (O)verwhelming support of the amendment shows that clear majorities in the Senate and the House of Representatives recognize that the medical device tax needs to be repealed so that America’s medical technology community can spur growth and create the great jobs that come along with it,” Mark Leahey, president and chief executive of MDMA, said in a statement.

OK, but given that the support is there, let’s see a vote that actually matters. Congress should find a way to repeal this onerous tax before it tosses the medical-device industry into a tailspin.

After all, symbolism is most effective when followed by action.