New Jersey Taxes cosmetic surgery

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New Jersey Taxes Cosmetic SurgeryBy CNSNews.com Morning EditorJuly 01, 2004(CNSNews.com) - New Jersey has become the first state in the nation to specifically tax a surgical procedure -- much to the dismay of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Gov. Jim McGreevey on Wednesday signed a bill that will require patients to pay a 6 percent tax on cosmetic plastic surgery procedures. The governor also signed legislation that will impose a 3.5 percent tax on the gross receipts of physician-owned surgical centers."The people of New Jersey should be very concerned about what these new laws may mean to their health in the future," said Rod Rohrich, MD, American Society of Plastic Surgeons president. "While we understand many states are grappling with the need to resolve huge budget deficits, this law sets a dangerous precedent for lawmakers to consider taxing patients

who need elective bariatric, lasik, orthopedic or other medical procedures based on the state's, rather than a physician's, interpretation of 'medical necessity.'" D'Amico, MD, of the New Jersey ASPS, also criticized a "selective and discriminatory tax on working, middle-class women who represent almost 90 percent of all plastic surgery procedures."These bills were introduced, passed through committees, and approved by the legislature and governor in a matter of days, he noted. "The public should be troubled by the 'back-door politics' undertaken to get these bills passed," said Dr. D'Amico. "They were pushed through at the eleventh hour. There was no chance to interface or interact with the system. There was no public debate. The patients of New Jersey have been shortchanged."The 6 percent gross receipts tax on elective surgery procedures includes cosmetic surgery, hair transplants, cosmetic injections, cosmetic soft tissue fillers,

dermabrasion and chemical peel, laser hair removal and cosmetic dentistry. The flat 3.5 percent tax on surgical centers essentially subjects plastic surgeons who use surgery centers to double taxation, the ASPS said.ASPS describes itself as the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world and the foremost authority on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery.__________________________________________________