Free Republic

Doctors were able to surgically remove the so-called Botax from the Senate's health-care overhaul bill and replace it with a 10% tax on tanning services. "We suggested that the tanning tax would be a better alternative to the cosmetic tax and hopefully will reduce the incidence of skin cancer down the road," said David M. Pariser, president of the American Academy of Dermatology Association, which represents dermatologists. The American Medical Association had also opposed the proposed 5% tax on cosmetic procedures -- dubbed the Botax after the antiwrinkle product Botox -- which was among the issues it wanted changed by...

Cosmetic Surgery Industry Lobbies Against The 'Botax' In Senate Health Bill 07 Dec 2009 "Leading makers of antiwrinkle drugs, breast implants and other appearance-related products are trying to derail a proposed tax on elective cosmetic surgery in the Senate's health-overhaul bill," The Wall Street Journal reports. "The proposed 5% levy -- dubbed the 'Botax' after the antiwrinkle treatment product Botox -- would raise an estimated $5.8 billion over 10 years." The tax proposal has raised the ire of the cosmetic surgery industry. "Two leading companies in aesthetic treatments, Allergan Inc. and Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp., are mounting lobbying and public-relations campaigns...