Sales Tax for Massage Therapy
This will be one of my very few public entries:
O'Malley's new tax package has massage-therapy listed as a sales-taxable item. I got the news through an email from my school. In case anyone is interested, here is the text of the email, and a copy of what I had to say about it when I wrote to my delegates.
Folks,
I'm not a political guy, but I get in the middle of a lot of political stuff.
Guess what? We thought that we had been able to remove massage therapy
from the list of items to be sales taxed. Well it snuck back in again on
Governor O'Malley's new tax package.
Haircuts and shoe repair would not be taxed? We would? What is that all
about?
There is a good chance that it will be presented in a Special Session of
the General Assembly and it will not be open to public comment like it
would be during the General Session.
If you are interested in making sure that we are treated with the same
respect as other health care providers, you may be interested in
contacting your representatives.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.taxes21sep21,0,2528633.story
Here is a way to find out who to contact.
http://mdelect.net/
It is in your hands...
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Dear Delegates Guzzone, Pendergrass and Turner,
I am writing to voice my opinion regarding Governor O’Malley’s tax package, which as I understand it may well be presented in a special session of the General Assembly. If so, it would not be open to public comment as it would be during the General Session.
Specifically, I was concerned to find out that massage therapy has been placed on the list of items to be sales-taxed under the proposed tax package. This would mean that things like haircuts and shoe-repair would not be taxed, yet alternative health care providers would be. Pain is a great equalizer; I do not feel that disciplines which address wellness should be categorized in this manner. I protest this both as a patient of CAM-providers and as a CMT-in-training. I ask that our representatives in the Maryland legislature support complimentary forms of health care by acting to remove massage-therapy from the list of sales-taxable services in the O’Malley tax package
The value of massage therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture and other routes to wellness are plain to see with even brief research. These CAM providers do not replace physicians-they complement their care. A particular circumstance dictates whether surgery, prescription drugs or less intrusive forms of care are best; often, blended care is in the best interest of the patient. Taxing massage-therapy (and other complimentary forms of health care for that matter) won’t just hinder the reputation of professionalism that CAM providers have been working diligently to build, it will likely necessitate increased fees which will ultimately adversely affect both clients and massage therapists.
In the last twenty years or so alternative forms of healthcare have really been gaining in respect and availability. Please help ensure that the evolution of wellness in our country and state does not suffer the setback of being taxed like luxury consumer goods.
Sincerely,
CC. Gov. Martin O’Malley