Tanning Salons Feel The Heat

There’s been talk in the Senate of imposing a tax on elective surgeries. It appears that’s been cut and the focus has shifted to indoor tanning. The Senate’s health care bill is calling for a 10 percent tax on tanning services. A recent New York Times article shared…
 

Dr. David M. Pariser, the president of the American Academy of Dermatology, said his association proposed that an indoor-tanning tax be considered in place of the cosmetic tax, and that it contacted the offices of senators. “We made the case this will reduce health care costs by hopefully reducing skin cancer in the future — that’s the point — and also raise a little revenue now,” Dr. Pariser said.
 

The tax is set to take effect in July, 2010.

The NY Times article went on to say, “any provider of indoor tanning, presumably including gyms that have only a bed or two, must add the 10 percent tax to their services.” It will be interesting to see how this hits small business owners of tanning salons as well as gym owners with tanning services. Another interesting piece in the article…

Taxing tanning-bed services makes sense to Dr. Darrell S. Rigel, a melanoma researcher and a past president of the American Academy of Dermatology. “The rates of melanoma are rising among young women, who are the biggest users of tanning beds,” he said. “We are seeing melanomas on these women where the sun doesn’t normally shine but where tanning beds shine,” namely on breasts and pubic areas.
 

Thanks to Shannon Gill for the heads up on the Tanning Tax.