Don't get burned by tanning bed tax

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Beginning July 1, 2010, a 10% tax will be levied on individuals receiving indoor UV tanning services as part of President Barack Obama's federal health care bill.

Pattie Molenaar, owner of Sun Spray, applies an airbrush tan to Kimberly Ball. A micro-fine mist is custom airbrushed, giving an even tan without harmful UVA or UVB rays. The tan lasts one to two weeks. Tanning methods such as this will not face the 10 percent tax penalty that's part of the new health care legislation. The tanning bed tax goes into effect July 1, 2010.

Jamie Schachter, owner of four Hollywood Tan franchises in Metro Atlanta, poses in his Buckhead store. One of the provisions in the new health care law, a 10 percent tax on UV tanning services, takes effect July 1st. The feds figure this levy will net the government $3 billion over the next decade, but metro Atlanta tanning salon owners say the figure will be much lower and that the tax is unfair, citing that UV tanning in moderation is not as harmful as some perceive it to be.

Eric Bell, owner of Hollywood Tan, demonstrates the technique for getting a spray tan. A person stands in the booth, which emits a six-second spray, while holding arms up and alternately moving legs up and down. The FDA recommmends placing cotton balls in your nose and ears, wearing a shower cap and covering your eyes. The spray tan is usually applied while naked. The results are an even tan without harmful UVA or UVB rays.

That tell-tale orange hue has become increasingly common as the number of sunless tanning products on the market has risen and as influential Hollywood stars go under the spray gun. Sales of self-tanners in the United States have skyrocketed over the past several years. Taxes on tanning beds will drive even more people towards sunless tanning methods.

Not all people use tanning beds to prepare their bodies for the beach. For certain people battling depression or seasonal affective disorder, exposing themselves to bright-light therapy is billed by doctors as a highly effective treatment method.

Sure, you can avoid the new tanning bed tax by laying out by the pool and getting a tan the old-fashioned way, but you'll still be soaking up harmful UV rays.

Some people use tanning beds to kill two birds with one stone by getting a tan and "tattoo" at the same time. Both practices can be damaging to the skin.

The 10% tanning bed tax won't necessarily drive tanning salons out of business. Many have already diversified their offerings to include sunless tanning options, massages and other services, such as this hydration booth.

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Pattie Molenaar, owner of Sun Spray, applies an airbrush tan to Kimberly Ball. A micro-fine mist is custom airbrushed, giving an even tan without harmful UVA or UVB rays. The tan lasts one to two weeks. Tanning methods such as this will not face the 10 percent tax penalty that's part of the new health care legislation. The tanning bed tax goes into effect July 1, 2010.

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