March 24, 2010

Tanning salon owners worry the new tax might take some of the glow off their business.

Kay Waite has owned Tan Do tanning salon for 10 years. Like a lot of tanning salon owners, she feels the government is singling them out to help pay for the health care bill.

"I just don't think it's going to stop here. We get taxed this time. It's going to keep going." Waite said.

Starting July 1, tanning salons will have to start charging a 10% tax on those who use tanning beds. It’s one of the taxes Washington lawmakers came up with to help pay for the $940 billion health care bill . Taxing tans is projected to raise $2.7 billion dollars over 10 years.

Some salon owners worry how it will hurt their business, some don’t.

"I think the people will still tan," Waite said.

Some of her customers like Marie Kirk, who don’t like the tax, say they’ll tan anyway.

"And it's kind of like gas prices. People will probably pay to do regardless of what they decide to charge us," Kirk said.

One group happy about the tax is the American Academy of dermatology, which says indoor tanning beds increase the risk of melanoma cancer. It just happens the tanning tax is a substitute for so called “Botax,” which would have taxed botox injections and breast implants, something the dermatology industry opposed.

"It's going to impose a charge to a lot of people that wasn't necessary," tanner, Giovanna Schmidt said.

And it could cost jobs at tanning salons.

"We're going to cut back. I've already cut back to prepare for it. I don't have as many people on staff as I normally do," Waite said.