Tan Tax? what are these politicians thinking?

·         During these bad times, it is small business owners that are suffering the most.

·         Business owners with 2-5 employees have been really in a fix

·         Whatever is left over is being taken away by the E-Commerce

·         If I have to talk about myself – I am at the helm of 160+ tanning salons.

·         I have been expanding by at least 15 locations every year.

·         With every store – I am creating Jobs for at least 5-7 individuals and contributing towards construction and manufacturing jobs.

·         How many locations have I added this year - - “ZERO”

·         After paying the

è Increased Minimum Wage

è Increased ComEd rates / bills

è Fighting off the NEW 10% Tan Tax

è Paying more taxes

There is nothing left to re-invest.  Whose loss is it?

More recently, the Federal government introduced 10% Tan Tax, replacing 5% Tax on Botox.  What did they do? Who are they penalizing?

·         80% of tanning salons are owned by Female Entrepreneurs

·         80% of tanners are Females

·         80% of employees are Females

·         JUST IMAGINE HOW HAPPY THESE FEMALE SUPPORTERS OF THIS SO CALLED DEMOCRATIC PARTY ARE? – NOT AT ALL HAPPY.

Here are the Few Facts about Sun Light:

·         Every LIFE needs sun light (UVB Light)

è Plants needs sun light to grow (science of photosynthesis)

è Animals need sunlight to survive

è We, Human Beings, need Sun Light to generate Vitamin D & SERETUM in our body.

·         Tanning is JUST A NAME given by us human beings. Otherwise it is nothing but “sitting in sun light and absorbing the UVB rays”

·         Tanning beds have the SAME UVB Light as the Sun

·         THAN HOW COME SUNLIGHT IS “PROJECTED” BAD BY THE Sunscreen and Cosmetic industry.

MODERATION is the word:

·         Anything done in moderation is good for body.

·         Consumption of 2 liters of water is good for body, however drinking lot of water can cause death

·         Consumption of a glass of wine is deemed good for health, NOT a whole bottle

·         Consumption of 2 Advil is deemed good for arthritis pain, NOT a whole bottle

·         Similarly sitting in Sun Light for 15-20 minutes gives us the “required” Vitamin D.  However if you are out in Sun all day, you probably will get Skin Burns which can result in cancer.

·         Tanning salons, REGULATED BY LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, provides this controlled environment so that no one suffers from such skin burns.

Did you know these facts:

·         There are approximately 19,000 tanning salons in US

·         These 19,000 salons employ approximately 160,000 individuals

·         ONLY 10% people tan

·         As mentioned before – Women constitute 80% of the above numbers.

·         There are five times more cases of Skin Cancer AFTER the invention of Sun Blocks / Sun Screens. Why?

·         Maximum Skin Cancer is in North America where Sunlight is less.  There are comparatively lot less cases of Skin Cancer in Southern America where there is plenty of Sunlight.

·         Cosmetics and Medical industry spent over $20million in lobbying to penalize tanning industry

·         Whereas tanning industry collected merely $500,000 to support its cause.

·         How can Tanning Industry fight this “bad publicity” with no money in its pockets.

What is Tan Tax Doing?

·         Knowingly or Unknowingly – you are creating a MONOPOLY.

·         You are forcing small business owners to close their shops

·         Closing of shops results in increasing the unemployment, which is already too high.

·         Closing the shops results in creating vacancies in the shopping centers, centers that  are already suffering from high vacancy rates

·         And the ripple effect of all of this is un-imaginable.

·         It was a total unnecessary move, particularly during the bad economic times.

·         The Democratic Party is losing the Female Supporters

I hope you read this entire letter thoroughly.  As a strong supporter, last thing I would like to do is part ways with the Party that I always believed in UNTILL NOW.  I strongly urge you to take up these issues with your team and the entire Democratic Party, who is now losing their touch with the people from the streets and moving close to Wall Street.  Please do all the needful to Repeal this Tan Tax.

Respectfully submitted

Want to create jobs? here are some ideas

These ideas / opinion are strictly to guide the current Political system to develop an EFFECTIVE financial policy that can jump start the US Economy.

• Small businesses like GAS STATIONS / CONVENIENT STORES / GIFT SHOPS / RESTAURANTS / AUTO REPAIR SHOPS and many more are the back bone of the US Economy.
• Many entrepreneurs and independent / small businesses have closed down their shops in these tough times, resulting in job losses.
• Jobs losses always create a ripple effect / chain reaction on the economy as the employees who losses their jobs cut down on their spending and so on.
• To bring these jobs back, it is important for these Entrepreneurs’ to survive
• We gave so much money to Big Banks & Big Corporations to bail them out – what is the result? The Banks are not lending at all.
• So instead of bailing out bigger companies – bail out small independent businesses.

How to Bail Out a Small Business?

• Any small business that is operational for AT LEAST 3 Years will be entitled to this bailout program.
• At the time of the application, this corporation will have to submit its 3 years tax returns, both Personal & Corporate
• They will be entitled up to 50% of their gross revenues as loan, upon the approval by IRS officials.
• This loan will be amortized over a period of 15 years with 1.5% interest.
• It will be IRS that will loan them the money so that they can keep a check on these businesses.
• IRS can cross check the tax returns with the revenues reported and can also monitor whether the bailout money is working or not.
• All the loans will be guaranteed, both by the Corporation and Personally, with appropriate collateral.
• It is a different form of giving tax credits where the government is not losing money and the tax credit money is being used to create jobs.

Why to Bail Out Small Business?

• 1^st and foremost, majority of job creations are always done by the small businesses.
• Secondly, this business was already operational for at least 3 years.
• For last 3 years, it employed individuals and paid taxes which eventually contributed to the economic growth.
• With the bailout money these businesses will develop new sites / locations and create more job opportunities.
• While building the new sites / locations, it will give jobs to construction workers too.
• Many Small businesses have closed down due to lack of such funds.
• Historically, the Small Business owners have always invested everything they have in developing their business.  They have risked all their life savings in developing their business.
• Any bailout money given to them will be re-invested, and IRS Field offices can monitor it.
• By charging 1.5% interest, the Government will make more money on interest then they are currently making by lending it to the Banks.
• Simultaneously the Small Business Owner will be relived from the hardships of dealing with a bank that is out there to charge lots of money in form of LOAN ORIGINATION FEES and HIGHER INTEREST RATES,

Public Works?

• It is argued that building trains and highways will create construction jobs. It is right.  But after it is built, what is the usage of this infrastructure – Hardly any.
• The infrastructure that is necessary for US, is already built.
• Any such job creation is a temporary fix, it is NOT a permanent solution.
• Maybe India & China need such infrastructure development, but we definitely do not need it.
• Infrastructure development in US was needed during the times of President Roosevelt, but not now.

This is just an insight from an entrepreneur’s mind.  Businesses owners like me are getting tired of being sidelined by bigger companies and banks.  We are tired of being sidelined by the political system.  We have the opportunities, the experience and the capabilities to grow.  Entrepreneurs like me have lots of things to offer in terms of ideas, opportunities and commitment as we belong to the Main Street and not the Wall Street. However we are being held hostage by the bad policies that the government is implementing.  Even though the intentions of the government are good, their means are not right.  They are not achieving their goals.

I would love to represent my ideas to any financial planner in the administration.  At the same time I am open for feedback on these ideas.

Respectfully Submitted,

Stimulus Package to Individuals

Date:                     January 26^th, 2009

To:                          Barak Obama – President of United States Of America

From:                    Urmish Patel – a Citizen living in Addison, Illinois.

Ref:                        Suggestion on Stimulus Package

Dear Sir,

I have a suggestion to make to Obama's Economic Advisors and I am not sure how to get it to them.  Here is my IDEA:

With checks being mailed out as part of stimulus package, people would either put it in savings or will pay off their old debts.  Due to the lack in consumer confidence, very few people will spend it.  Hence it will not solve the purpose to its entirety.  I am sure you want people to spend their money in that way the shelves at retailers get empty and hence the production increases.

My suggestion is to give out a VISA or Master Card for the same amount and people will be forced to spend it out resulting in putting the money back into the market.  hence the economy will get jump start.  And I am sure we can negotiate very well with VISA or MASTER CARD and we can force them to give these cards for free without any production costs.  I strongly believe that this will increase the spending and the money will be rolled back into the economy.

Just a suggestion.

regards,

Urmish Patel

630-673-3143