Tanning salons around the country will be forking over more money once a new tanning tax takes effect.
The tax is part of the health care reform bill signed by President Barack Obama Tuesday morning. The 10 percent tax will take effect July 1 and is expected to generate $2.7 billion in the next decade.
Dewayne Howell, co-owner of Midnight Sun Tanning Salon, said the tax is harmful for small tanning salon owners.
"It'll hurt us," he said. "We're struggling like everyone else."
Local tanning chain Palm Beach Tan sent a mass call-to-arms e-mail to its customers Tuesday night urging them to contact their local representative to remove the tan tax from the health care reform bill amendments.
Howell said it is possible that some small salons will have to close once the tax takes effect.
He said an average salon grosses about $250,000 - half of which goes toward business expenses - and that he would "have to wait and see" whether the new tax would significantly hurt his business.
