I read in this morning’s edition of my local Gannett monopoly that the US government is considering adding a tax to so-called ” Vanity” surgical procedures. Procedures that would be taxed under this proposed bill include:
~ tummy tucks
~Breast implants
~wrinkle- smoothing injections
~teeth whitening
Normally I am not a fan of new taxes, but this one makes a lot of sense. Plus, this propose tax will help offset the cost towards the healthcare coverage. These procedures are easy targets for such taxes, since they have no redeeming medical value & are not currently covered by most, if any, health insurance plans.
The proposal will hit a five percent tax on elective procedures, according to Senate majority leader Harry Reid D-Nevada. The projected plan is hoping to raise about 6 billion in revenue & surgeries to fix a deformity or injury would be exempt from this tax. This makes sense, as those who suffer illness or injury & are deformed as a result of the aforementioned event do not elect to have surgery for the sake of vanity. But the housewife who wants a D-cup chest is another story entirely.
This makes a lot of sense to me. I am not & never will be, a fan of ” cosmetic ” surgery. I fail to see the logic behind submitting oneself under a scalpel merely to try to conform to the ridiculous idea of ” beauty” our media projects onto we middle-class Americans.
One of the things in the article I read which surprised me is that most who chose to undergo these procedures are not super-wealthy women. According to the newspaper article, most women{ & yes, mostly women choose elective procedures} have incomes ranging from $30,000-$90,000.
Canterbury Chronicle 