Plastic Surgeons and dermatologists are letting out a huge sigh of relief since the tax on elective cosmetic surgery, also known as the “bo-tax,” has been dismissed. The new tax that is proposed in the health care bill will be on indoor tanning services.
NYTimes.com reported that the 10% tax on “fake” tanning services will go into effect in July 2010 which means any indoor tanning services provider must add that additional tax onto their services. By 2020 this new tax will have raised close to $3 billion, this money will go to help millions of Americans obtain health insurance.
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.
Those who are in favor of this new tax hope that it will discourage the use of ‘fake baking’ and it will hopefully reduce the risks of skin cancer. People under the age of 30 who have been indoor tanning have a 75% increase in contracting melanoma, the fatal form of skin cancer.
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