The American Suntanning Association believes our biggest threat comes from Washington, D.C., where federal rules, regulations and anti-sunbed efforts continue. That’s why the ASA has been fighting for professional tanning salon operators on Capitol Hill since 2012. The ASA team has built relationships with hundreds of federal policymakers, attended more than 3,000 meetings and held meetings with key federal agencies like the CDC, FDA and many more. Over the years, ASA has learned what resonates most with the majority of policymakers. And that is how much damage the onerous 10% Tan Tax placed on our market. Many politicians are shocked when they learn how the tax was applied exclusively to our market while gyms, apartment buildings, and others offering UV tanning were exempted. They are stunned when they see how many women-owned businesses have been shuttered and the many jobs that have been lost as a result.
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ASA has created champions on the Hill for our crusade to repeal the Tan Tax. But, as we’ve learned, even that isn’t always enough. We have been so close to having the tax repealed many times, but fate and politics have kept us from crossing the finish line. ASA and the industry experienced this yet one more time this past December, when the Tan Tax Repeal was dropped from the last-minute spending bill that was passed at the end of the year.
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The ASA federal lobby team was aware that the House version of the last-minute spending bill may not include the Tan Tax Repeal due to Democrat control of the House. So, ASA pushed hard in the Senate, convincing our friends in leadership to include us in the Senate bill. ASA was successful at getting the Tan Tax included in the Senate version, however, Democrats in the House removed us from the final version. Though ASA worked closely with many Democrats in both chambers to educate them on our scientifically supported positions and the devastation the tax has created for primarily female-owned tanning salons, our opponent’s weight in the matter seemed too strong to overcome.
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The ASA believes our biggest threat comes from Washington, D.C., where federal rules, regulations and anti-sunbed efforts continue.
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In an attempt to overcome the negative perspective many Democrats still have, ASA plans to continue our focus on educating Democrats with the new science that supports our position. Educating every single Washington policymaker has been ASA’s objective all along. ASA believes that changing the federal government’s perspective on our issues requires a dedicated effort of getting face-to-face with every decision-maker on Capitol Hill. And that’s exactly what we’re doing. The Tan Tax repeal effort is our industry’s door-opener for political meetings.
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No other industry has been devastated so much by federal government intervention. This effort accomplishes more than just a Tan Tax repeal. Our educational effort helps us build relationships with key figures who can help us fight potential agency regulations and attacks. And that helps protect our industry’s future.
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ASA’s entire effort takes a lot of time and resources to maintain and we could use your help. Please email info@americansuntanning.org today. Together, we’ll make indoor tanning great again.
About the ASA [gap height=”15″]
Founded in 2012, the American Suntanning Association is committed to defending and growing the industry through a detailed and proactive plan directed by an all-salon board and executed by more than two dozen management and consulting team members who specialize in this type of work.
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