Word: taxing
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Though it may seem like a stretch, opponents of the tax are making a populist cry. "This tax is not just a luxury tax," says Dr. Joanna Partridge, a plastic surgeon in North Brunswick, N.J. "This is a tax on the middle class, which is directly against what President Obama campaigned on." About 60% of those planning to have cosmetic medical procedures have an annual household income of $30,000 to $90,000, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS...
...working-class folks? "We're seeing a lot of patients concerned about the competition [for employment], and if they don't look young enough or vigorous enough, that could be an issue in getting a job," says Dr. Michael McGuire, president of the ASPS. (See pictures of tea-party tax protests...
...been a boon to some medical-supply companies. In the third quarter, Allergan Inc., which sells breast implants, Botox and other wrinkle-fighting products, said higher-than-expected Botox sales helped the company post an 8% earnings increase and exceed Wall Street's expectations. The company, predictably, opposes the tax...
More than anyone else, doctors are mobilizing. "We're very much against the tax," says Dr. Renato Saltz, president of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. He notes that a similar tax adopted by New Jersey in 2004 has been a disappointment, with many patients simply having their procedures done in neighboring states. The New Jersey legislature tried to rescind the tax but was overruled by Governor Jon Corzine...
There's a gender issue too, as roughly 86% of people seeking cosmetic enhancements are women, ASPS data show. The National Organization for Women (NOW) has spoken out against the tax. As Terry O'Neill, NOW's president, told the New York Times, "[Women] are going for Botox or going for eye work because we live in a society that punishes women for getting older." NOW's opposition to the tax elicited some hand-wringing at the Times, as Times blogger Judith Warner lamented, "Women's empowerment becomes a matter of a tight face and a flat belly...