The Tan Tax Repeal effort has been our industry’s calling card in Washington, D.C., for more than five years. The stories of businesses closed and jobs lost as a result of this unfair tax has opened many doors for our industry.
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For the new, business-friendly administration, 2017 proved to be a difficult year, causing frustration for ASA’s federal efforts. Members wouldn’t sign on as co-sponsors for the Tan Tax Repeal bill because they knew the tax would be repealed with the Affordable Care Act. Though Obamacare was sure to be repealed, it fell short by one vote. ASA quickly changed directions to focus on Ways and Means Committee members and Senate Finance Committee members to gain support for the Tan Tax Repeal to be added to other bill opportunities. ASA also stepped up the campaign of securing co-sponsors for the HR 1150 bill to repeal the Tan Tax.
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In December, ASA targeted powerful Ways and Means Committee Members with letters from salon constituents in their districts, pushing for support of the Tan Tax Repeal. Dozens of letters were mailed directly from salons to their representatives, with copies sent to ASA’s Washington team to be hand-delivered to their offices.
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In January, Rep. Holding (R-NC), HR 1150 sponsor, took some major steps toward getting the repeal across the finish line this year. Rep. Holding held several meetings with leadership stressing the importance of getting the Tan Tax Repeal added to an upcoming bill. Rep. Holding, along with ASA’s federal lobby team, continue taking action to get a very loud message to Republican leaders to let them know that this bill has been vetted by the House and Senate and has plenty of support.
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In February, ASA kicked off a powerful campaign to show the federal government that the 10% Tan Tax is unfairly targeting women and needs to be repealed, immediately. The multi-faceted campaign began with a request to the entire indoor tanning market asking salons, operators and customers to sign an appeal to lawmakers to repeal the unfair Tan Tax. The market responded positively, and nearly 10,000 postcards were signed and shipped to Washington to show our country’s leaders that women’s issues are important. According to ASA President Melinda Norton, “This turned out to be a great opportunity for our industry to show Washington that repealing the Tan Tax is very important and that thousands of businesses are relying on them to pass legislation to stop this devastating tax.”
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In March, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) co-sponsored companion legislation, S 2600, the Senate bill to repeal the tan tax. The Senate bill has provided positive momentum, and the ASA team has been meeting with Senate offices, explaining the legislation and asking for co-sponsorship. “We have received almost zero pushback from the Senators we’ve met with so far,” Norton says. “They have all shown great support for repealing this job-killing tax.”
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Last month, ASA took steps to have salon operators communicate with Senators asking for their support of the Tan Tax Repeal. Many salons and employees sent emails and letters explaining how the Tan Tax has devastated their businesses and jeopardized their jobs. “We have to remember that our Senators and Representatives are inundated with requests on a lot of issues every day,” Norton says. “We must all contact our politicians regularly to remind them that this tax needs to go away as soon as possible, or more businesses and jobs will be lost in their states.”
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And it’s not too late for you to take action. Contact ASA offices, and they will get you information for you to easily send an email letter to your representatives.
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For more info on how you can help repeal the Tan Tax, contact ASA at 855.879.7678.
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About the ASA
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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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