Why President Obama wants to tax white people, er, tanning beds? A Washington Post article posted online last week delves into the accusations that the new ‘tan tax’ unfairly targets white Americans. The article says, “The case can seem deceptively simple: Since patrons of tanning salons are almost exclusively white, the tax will be almost entirely paid by white people and, therefore, violates their constitutional right to equal protection under the law.” Or at least, this is the claim of angry Internet commenters and conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh, who claimed in March, “I now know the pain of racism.” The new tax went into effect last week and has continued to spark remarks, most of which aimed at the president himself.
Unpopular, yes, but is the new tax on tanning beds unconstitutional? Not according to Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy, who told the Post that in order for a constitutional issue to exist, the “plaintiff would have to show that the government intended to disadvantage a particular group, not simply that the group is disadvantaged in effect.” For now, it looks as if the new tax is safely in place, unless of course, tapes surface of government officials discussing the tax while using racist language.
Everyone, keep your ears peeled for “marshmallows.”