Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Sales Tax for California?

How about a little Botax to go with your Botox?

That's what California plastic surgeons and dermatologists may be asking patients if state tax officials decide that breast implants, face-lifts and other FDA-approved cosmetic enhancements should be levied the same sales tax as other goods.

And that cost will likely be passed on to the consumer.

Taxing the silicone, the collagen, the Botox and other products that go into such procedures could inject millions of dollars into the state's coffers. But doctors and advocacy groups warn that the potential tax wrinkle would discriminate against women and darken the business climate.

"The whole concept of taxing medical care is a slippery slope. What's next? Taxing the morbidly obese? Taxes on Lasik surgery? Once the door is open, it becomes a floodgate," said Bill Seward, assistant executive director for health policy and advocacy at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

While some say it is only fair to slap on a "vanity tax" for elective cosmetic procedures, others say such a tax could also unfairly be applied to patients in need of reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Steven Teitelbaum, a plastic surgeon in Santa Monica, said levies on face-lifts and breast implants would hit women harder than men.

"Such a tax is discriminatory toward women. It singles them out," said Teitelbaum, noting that those who undergo mastectomies and breast augmentation will suffer the greatest burden from the tax because those procedures are more expensive than others.

Last year, New Jersey was the first state to implement a cosmetic surgery tax, charging doctors about 6 percent on gross receipts. The state brought in about $7.5 million from the tax, $17.5 million short of expectations. Now other states are considering the tax, with California's Board of Equalization likely to make a decision in the next several months.

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