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Group: Cosmetic Surgery Taxes Hurt Women NewsMax.com WiresARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) strongly opposes taxes on elective cosmetic surgery and physician services as a way to fix state budget shortfalls or fund new or ailing programs, the society said in a statement today. The ASPS, the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world, issued the statement citing multiple reasons against these taxes when Washington became the third state to propose a "cosmetic surgery tax." New Jersey was the first state to pass a tax of this kind in 2004 and a tax has been proposed on elective cosmetic surgery in Illinois to fund a stem cell research institute. Story Continues Below "While we understand that states are facing difficult times economically, taxing physicians and cosmetic surgery procedures is really an inappropriate and, frankly, flawed approach to fixing states' financial problems," said Scott Spear, MD, ASPS president. Cosmetic surgery taxes unfairly discriminate against women, 86 percent of the cosmetic plastic surgery population in 2003, according to the ASPS statement. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, cosmetic surgery is no longer an exclusive luxury of the very wealthy.
Citing new research of people planning to have cosmetic surgery within the next two years, the ASPS statement notes that, 60 percent of the respondents reported a household income of $30,000 to $90,000 a year. Forty percent of those reported income of $30,000 to $60,000, clearly refuting the assertion that cosmetic surgery taxes affect only a privileged few. The ASPS notes that these taxes will be arbitrary and expensive to administer and that the line between cosmetic and reconstructive is not always clear and leaves the determination of medical necessity up to state tax auditors rather than medical doctors. As for physician taxes, the ASPS statement contends that they are inefficient and compound the problem of the uninsured. For example, in Minnesota where a health care provider tax has been in effect for more than 10 years, health care premiums have jumped, and the number of uninsured people in Minnesota has increased. The ASPS also opposes the tax because it targets small business owners. Most of the nation's physicians are self-employed or part of a small physician-owned group practice.
This additional tax on physicians' businesses poses a significant and disproportionate burden on physicians and their patients, according to the statement. Finally, the statement notes that these taxes will discourage patients from seeking care in their home state, thereby taking important revenue, job opportunities and community economic growth potential beyond state borders. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world. With nearly 5,000 members, the society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. (U.S. Newswires)
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