McCleary and others who lounged last week in the notorious Land of the Tanned - see MTV's Jersey Shore - said a few dollars tacked on wouldn't deter them. That's good news for the multibillion-dollar tanning industry. But advocates of the tax hope it will prompt more of a response than a simple recalculation of costs.
Like the tariff on cigarettes, the introduction of a tanning tax sends a message, said William James, vice chairman of the dermatology department at the University of Pennsylvania: Tanning beds are dangerous.
"It's going to help people understand that it's not just the local skin doctors that are over-the-top about this," said James, who is also president of the American Academy of Dermatology, which pushed for the tax. "It's the government and the [World Health Organization] and others who have said, 'This causes cancer. Let's do something about this.' "
The tax, which received a bad review from Jersey Shore star Snooki, was passed as part of the health-care overhaul signed by President Obama in March. It is projected to bring in about $2.7 billion in revenue.
The perpetually mahogany Snooki was quoted this spring saying that, if Sen. John McCain had been elected president, he wouldn't have passed the tanning tax. The Arizona Republican - who has had melanomas removed from his shoulder, arm, and nose - responded on Twitter: "I would never tax your tanning bed!" And he reminded her to wear sunscreen.
"This is nanny government," John Overstreet, executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association, said of the tax. "This is using government to try to tell people how to behave."
Overstreet said the "special-interest tax" is bound to reduce demand and hurt businesses that are struggling in the down economy.
