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CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - In case you haven't noticed, public health advocates and other busybodies who worry about the health and well-being of Americans are no longer content to just criticize the stuff they say is bad for us, they want to tax it, too.
Taking their cue from the successful campaign against tobacco, these critics are now going after tanning salons and soda pop. A growing number of health advocates, worried about obesity, are pushing for warning labels, public health marketing campaigns and special federal taxes aimed at discouraging the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks.
And, a tax on tanning salons whose services are considered harmful by some experts has already been included in President Obama's revised Health Care Plan. It replaced an earlier proposed tax on cosmetic botox treatments.
Dermatologists complained about that tax and it turned out they were more influential than the tanning salons. The idea of new and creative taxes has great appeal to politicians, of course who may indeed care about our health but more likely care more about the cash our unhealthy habits can generate.
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