MORE ON THE TANNING TAX

I bet Hollywood is happy by the fact that the cosmetic surgery tax is off the table in the race to pay for health care reform.

But don’t start laughing just yet, George Hamilton. It’s been replaced with a 10% tax on tanning services.

And yes, it won’t raise as much money as the plastic surgery tax. That tax, referred to as the Botax, was expected to raise $5.8 billion in revenue. The tax on tanning? A measly $2.7 billion. The tanning industry, not surprisingly, opposed the tax. There is no truth to the rumor that the proposed potentially discriminatory Botax sent the wives/girlfriends/companions of our Congressional officials into a mad panic.

The problem is that most tanning salons and salons and spas tanning are small businesses. We see the numbers and we know that tanning has been down during the recession. Many of the tanning only salons are just barely keeping their head above water. This measure could be the “straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

What is next? Will salons and spas be the next victims? You wax ’em we’ll tax ‘em.

But why stop there? If they are going to impose a tax on indoor tanning why not impose a tax on outdoor tanning? It would be fairly easy. Just add a tax to all lounge furniture. The tax would be higher in those states that have more sun light and lower here in the Midwest. Maybe some type of tariff on people that vacation in Hawaii and the Caribbean?

Wait a minute. Maybe I shouldn’t give them ideas. They have enough dumb ideas the way it is.