Camp goes after IRS over looming tanning tax (again)

Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) on Wednesday reiterated his concerns that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) hasn't warned the nation's tanning salons of an imminent tax. 

The 10 percent tax on tanning services, included in the Democrats' healthcare reform bill, takes effect Thursday. Camp, the senior Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, wrote to the IRS on June 11 asking what steps the agency had taken to notify businesses and consumers of the additional costs.

Camp's office said Wednesday: "The IRS has yet to explain why it has not notified tanning operators about this tax."

Republicans have criticized the tax, arguing that it will burden businesses at a time when unemployment sits near 10 percent. Supporters — including many dermatologists — maintain that it might discourage a practice linked to higher rates of skin cancer. 

The tanning tax is estimated to generate $2.7 billion over the next decade.