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The Spectacle Blog
One of the more outlandish provisions of the health care legislation is the 10 percent tax on indoor tanning. When it was introduced into the Senate health care bill in December, it injected a bit of humor into the political and policy debate. But to a segment of small businesses across the country, it’s no laughing matter.
A local news station in Seattle has spoken to Mark Willard of a salon called Desert Sun Tanning. “Families, you know, these are people that have invested their life savings into these businesses and that’s how they make their living,” he said. “Unfortunately, now, that tax is going to be passed onto them…It could be very detrimental to their business, and certainly our customers that are going to bear the brunt of this tax.”
Another station in Indiana finds Fun Tan, which employs “a total of 40 people and the owner says they will likely have to let some people go from the salon.”
Dan Skwarcan, the owner, said, ““It’s huge. Think about the total revenue and having to write a check for ten percent of everything you make and give it to the federal government. That is tough.. plus on top of all of the taxes we are already paying today.”
People might dismiss stories like this that are being replicated throughout the country because a tax on indoor tanning only affects a relatively small segment of the population. Yet the point is that this is a perfect example of the arbitrary nature of government power. Indoor tanning has absolutely nothing to do with health care. But in December, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was scrambling to find ways to raise revenue to pay for a massive new government entitlement. An earlier tax on cosmetic surgery was dropped under protest from the Botox Lobby. And poof, just like that, families who depend on indoor tanning for their livelihood are forced to pony up for the greater good. Liberals always like to portray themselves as more compassionate. But remember, liberal compassion is rooted in a willingness to take other people’s money and have government spend it for them.
View all comments (19) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Philip Klein
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/03/30/the-tan-tax-and-government-pow
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Becky| 3.30.10 @ 12:12PM
In an odd way, tanning is more beneficial for some than Botox (botox may have some medical benefits in palm sweating, or something like that).
Tanning has been known to be good therapy for those with eczema.
The difference is the wealth have tanning booths in their homes. How do you tax that?
Government has never figured out that the world is neither linear, nor flat. Raising taxes on cigarettes to fund new programs, leads to less cig. buying, leading to higher taxes, to less buying, etc, until the buyers resort to black market.
Ed| 3.30.10 @ 12:19PM
As has been noted at American Thinker, the tanning tax has a disproportionate impact on a specific racial group: Caucasians. It may be a stretch, but this could be another avenue for overturning this law in the courts. If I owned a tanning salon, I would look into it.
Pete| 3.30.10 @ 2:04PM
I think that is part of the point of the tax, don't you? After all, you don't see Osama going after the "windfall" profits of NBA and NFL players, do you? I wonder why....
Kristin| 3.30.10 @ 3:26PM
Not just Caucasians,.... Middle class Caucasion Women. How much more group specific can you get.
JEN| 3.30.10 @ 3:47PM
I totally agree with you on this! Tanning in mainly aimed towards the caucasian population. I managed a salon for 10 years and that is your primary clientele. I would also suggest for salon owners to check into this aspect of the bill.
Lazy Jack | 3.30.10 @ 2:08PM
Obama, Pelosi, and Reid draw a noble line in the tan.
I wanted to make a big joke out of this, but then I thought harder about it. A few days ago I would never, in my wildest dreams, have thought any thinking U.S. legislator would enact such a ridiculous behavioral tax. As the artificial vehicles created by this legislative march off the cliff run out of money (notice I did not say if), how long do you think it will be before they start taxing other things. Since tanning is so evil, I can imagine a beach vacation tax. Yeah. How about we tax 10% of the rental property revenue at any location less than a mile from a body of water? If we are to stamp out bronzing, let’s do it the right way.
Venereal Disease should be next. Let’s tax any alcohol sale at a 10% rate at any pub within 10 miles of a college campus. Or, better yet, let’s put a 12.5% VD surcharge on tuition and on all airline tickets to Cancun. Even better, let us copy our European teachers and call it a VDAT (VD Added Tax).
As VIP Biden says: ‘This is a Big F_____ Deall!!!’ One of the first elements to go into force of this “Historic,” “Ground Breaking,” “Compassionate,” “Life-Saving,” legislation is a tax on tanning.
Nice Job, Party of the Democrat. We cannot wait for more. At least Jane, Britney, and Matt can still do jazzercise without a tax…for now.
Lazy Jack
www.thanksforthelaughs.wordpress.com
Margie| 3.30.10 @ 3:20PM
I plan on frequenting the tanning salon now to give them my business. It'll be a first for me. I found out by listening to the wonderful Dr. Hoffman here on the radio, that just a few minutes a few times a week helps improve mood, and also increase vitamin D in through the skin. In effect, it does what the Sun does. There have been studies recently about how lack of vitamin D contributes big time to MS, and Cancer. And that because of all the hype over skin Cancer, people are slathering themselves with so much sun tan lotion that they aren't getting enough vit. D. to help protect against same.
vitamindcouncil.com is a great source of info.
Tanning salon here I come!
Pete M. | 3.30.10 @ 5:01PM
This is absurd. Why tanning? Why not hairstyling, dogleash manufacturing, or fortune cookie production? My daughter's dream for a long time was to own her own business. She now owns her own tanning salon and has had a rough couple of years secondary to the recent financial crash--due in a great part to incompetent and dangerously risky liberal social engineering in the housing market----and now she gets socked with this stupidly incompetent socially engineered "tanning tax". I think as a somewhat politically naive and idealistic kid, she probably voted for Mr. Yes We Can. A rude but critically needed awakening is the result for her and, I hope, the rest of the hard-working small business owners who have risked everything in search of the American Dream.
Allen| 3.30.10 @ 5:07PM
Funny that we get a tax on tanning, which is hardly as dangerous to your health as smoking ... yet the President did not see a need to put a health tax on smoking, which is HIS vice!!
Angela| 3.30.10 @ 6:02PM
I heard an interesting argument that may or may not be a part of any state's Attorney General or others lawsuit challenging the Constitutionality of ObamaCare - and that is that this provision violates the Civil Rights Act.
The argument goes like this - only caucasians use tanning beds - therego this measure is an underhanded way to discriminate against whites. I like it! Turn the overused racial discrimination argument on its' head!
Terry| 3.30.10 @ 6:23PM
Well, finally people are talking about the discrimination issue we have here. That's right, a tax on middle classed white females. But, as you know, the doctors made sure their ultra violet treatments in the office were exempt. I love the country I live in but I'm truely afraid of what it's becoming.
Magic| 3.30.10 @ 9:34PM
Our online shop sales GHD range of GHD Hair Straighteners products. If you are buying GHD Straighteners and Ghd flat iron online through the internet, then we will give you more discounts.In addition, free postage.
TrickleUpPolitics| 3.31.10 @ 1:44PM
As somone on another blog noted, this tax falls almost exclusively on white people.
Pingback| 4.7.10 @ 3:31AM
Health Care Reform’s Public Wellness Measures | The Peoples People links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Yancy | 4.7.10 @ 8:34AM
My wife and I sold our house 6 yrs ago to buy our first business, you guess it...tanning salon. I worked at CAT, you know makes tractors and other useful heavy duty equipment on 3rd shift and ran our business. It wasn't until I fell asleep at the wheel and ran into someone yard that I said was enough is enough. I laid off a few employees and ran it full time myself. It's only getting harder to stay in biz now, higher electricity costs, our products cost are going up and we have to compete with ebay. Not sure how much longer we can do it and this new tax is only the fork I have been waiting for.