Minnesota legislator pushing hard for tax on cosmetic surgery procedures

St. Paul, Minn. - A Minnesota legislator is spearheading an effort to extend the state’s 6.5 percent sales tax to include cosmetic surgery and procedures such as chemical peels, laser hair removal, cosmetic injections and vascular treatments.

According to a recent Chicago Sun-Times story, Minnesota State Rep. Phyllis Kahn (D-Minneapolis) wants her state to be the second to tax plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures. New Jersey is the only state that does so currently.

The Sun-Times reports that Rep. Kahn believes that anybody who has the money for plastic surgery can afford to pay a tax on it.

Rep. Kahn says her proposal, if passed, would generate about $7 million a year for the state’s coffers. New Jersey collects an estimated $11 million a year from its cosmetic surgery tax.