djwizpdx

First off, I am an Anytime Fitness owner in the Pacific Northwest, I own 4 clubs.

The above post is absolutely absurd! It made me laugh so hard! Do you really think that the largest fitness franchise in the WORLD doesn’t have adequate insurance for its facilities??? lol

I can tell you that my insurance DOES cover unlimited, operate yourself tanning, and that my insurance is about HALF of what the salon owner above is paying! lol Guess it really pays to be a part of a successful franchise with buying power eh!?!?

Your one-sided, turn a blind eye approach to your competition is what will ultimately run you salon owners out of business where there is an ATF nearby. You need to re-think, and re-strategize.

My members pay 14/mo for unlimited tanning on top of their fitness membership and I have about 1/4 of my 800+ members paying for it whether they use it or not!

Our beds are great quality too, in fact they are an upgrade over what most salons refer to as a "medium pressure" bed. We own several 12 min sunsource Xp 32 bulb tanning beds with facials and our members love them! What’s even better is that we paid about HALF of what you salon owners would pay because we have the buying power of the 1,800 + franchise system. The beds I own are 6k beds and I paid just under 3k for each! The beds paid for themselves inside of 2 months of being open!

An another thing, how’s the new tanning TAX treating you guys??? lol. Bet the extra 10% sucks, eh? I wouldn't know since fitness facilities DONT HAVE TO PAY IT!

Have a great day to all!

movieking

You feel better now that you dug up a 3 year old thread? Let me know how it works out for you on not charging the 10% tax on the $14 tanning.

djwizpdx

Like I said, fitness centers are exempt from the tax if their memberships include tanning. Read the law. 3 year old thread? didnt even notice, lol. But yeah, now I feel a lot better! No posts in like 3 years.... hmmmm... I wonder how many of these salons are still in business...

movieking

They are not exempt if you charge an additional fee to include tanning on a fitness membership. If you charge say $19.99 for a fitness membership but then offer tanning on the same membership for another $14 then you must collect and remit the tax for the $14 tanning.

djwizpdx

lol. My attorneys know the law. We have many types of memberships ;-)

movieking

Q: Are Fitness Centers and gyms exempt from this tax?

A: Not necessarily. The regulations specifically address what they call Qualified Physical Fitness Facilities (QPFF). The IRS determined that memberships paid to a QPFF are not a payment for indoor tanning services. To be a QPFF, your predominant business or activity is to serve as a physical fitness facility – and as a QPFF, you can't charge separately for indoor tanning services, offer such services to the public or offer different membership fees based on access to tanning beds. If a potential QPFF does any of the above, then they are subject to collect and remit the 10 percent tanning tax, too!

djwizpdx

really? like i havent read it myself with my attorneys several times? lol "creativity is like a river in times where water is in short supply"

movieking

So how are you getting around it? You already said you charge an additional $14 for tanning.

djwizpdx

I am not going into detail about how I run/operate my fitness facilities, however I will say that IHRSA has been a key component.

Michelle N

Awesome to know that you, as a business owner are doing your share of tax evasion! Looks great to the IRS. The law is clear and your lawyers may need to be rethought, unless that is their job, to get you out of paying taxes that you by rights should be paying.
The statement is clear that if you charge extra for your tanning, as you state you do, then you have to pay your tax on that also. Also, don't forget sales tax on top of that federal 10% since you are in the state of Washington.
Maybe stripes look good on you!