Botax Out, Tan Tax In
Remember the "botax" that Congress was thinking about including in the health care bill, which would impose a five percent tax on cosmetic surgery procedures? It was dropped from the bill over the weekend as part of a concession to the American Medical Association, which had lobbied hard against its inclusion for obvious reasons. The nation's tanning salons don't have as much of a presence on Capitol Hill, apparently, because the 10 percent tax on "indoor tanning services" was kept in, and is expected to contribute $2.7 billion to fund health care reform over the next decade. [NYDN, WSJ]