Indoor Tanning Tax
In the 2010 health care legislation, a 10% tax on indoor tanning was put into place. The question becomes: Will it work? Some argue that the impact will be minimal: “There is also a 10% tax on indoor tanning services included in the new health care reform bill. A tax won’t make a dent in an addict’s habit, Rigel says.[1] A 10% tax on a $20 indoor tanning session, for example, is just $2. Still, "it can’t hurt, but we have to get people to not think that tanning is wonderful," he says.”[2] As Rigel says, it can’t hurt. It might dissuade some individuals, perhaps teenagers who have limited access to money, from engaging in the practice.
[1] Darrell S. Rigel, MD, is a clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center.