Nebraska state Sen. Abbie Cornett has introduced a bill to eliminate a 7 percent state tax on indoor tanning services in the state. Along with Sen. Cornett, four other state senators have co-signed the bill. One of those co-signers, Sen. Jim Smith, has stated this is a priority bill.
Smith says in the article his support for the bill is rooted in his support for small business, “You don’t get any more small business than a tanning business.” He continues, “Some people look at the fiscal note and say, ‘[The bill’s] gonna cost the state.’ But I feel it will cost the state more if we don’t throw a life preserver to the tanning industry.”
The bill has been introduced to help offset the federal excise tax on indoor tanning services implemented in the Affordable Care Act last year. A pending amendment to the bill would only allow for a suspension of the state tax as long the federal tax is on the books.
Bart Bonn, representing the state group the Nebraska Indoor Tanning Association and CEO of Ashley Lynn’s Tanning, says in the article, “We’re here to seek justice. We can’t get that in D.C.”