GOP Congressman Also Wrongly Claims ‘Spain Taxes the Sun’
During Wednesday’s 18 hour House Ways and Means Committee overnight debate to pass TrumpCare one Republican Congressman decided to attack Democrats and ObamaCare. GOP Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri demanded to know why Democrats included a tanning bed tax in the Affordable Care Act, but didn’t tax ice cream, which he believes is equally damaging to health. As the debate continued, Congressman Smith decided that Democrats should have taxed the sun.
Not surprisingly, after that embarrassing moment, Rep. Smith continued, claiming that the tanning bed tax is sexist because, he claims, “roughly 80 percent” of tanning bed users are women. “Today is International Women Day,” he said, misspeaking (it was International Women’s Day.) “It’s interesting no one is bringing it up.”
Democratic Rep. Sandy Levin of Michigan decided to weigh in to explain why there is a tanning bed tax. Rep. Smith then actually asked why the Democrats “did not look at a sun tax,” noting that “that’s the number one cause of skin cancer.”
Congressman Levin was forced to state the obvious: “I’ll tell you why. Because it’s a little hard to tax the sun.” Laughter could be heard throughout the chamber.Â
Undeterred, Rep. Smith retorted, “Spain taxes the sun.”
Naturally, the Republican from Missouri is mistaken. As Death and Taxes points out, “Spain taxes people who use solar energy, not the sun itself. The tax is wildly unpopular and does literally nothing to deter skin cancer.”
The bill passed committee, 23-16.
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Video via Politico’s Dan Diamond