Tuesday I started writing a blog about how your club should utilize different sports to get members exercising. However, while doing so I became terrified that if you could build revenue around certain sports that the government would tax those classes or facilities, and you’d have to charge your members more.
Why was that fear sparked? Well, this week, Washington D.C. approved a 5.75 percent “yoga tax” on health club and yoga studio memberships in the D.C. area. You can read more about the reaction a local club had on Rachel Zabonick’s blog.
On my side, my family taught me not to discuss politics or religion — two sensitive areas that can create feuds and discomfort for many involved. However, in this case, I have to say that the Washington D.C. Metro Council may have lost its mind.
As a nation we discuss the issues of obesity on a regular basis. We state the importance of health, wellness and nutrition among our people, and we all realize the importance of health clubs and studios in that solution.
Everyday we read articles about people turning their lives around by the assistance of a trainer, or simply purchasing a fitness membership. On the other hand, there are dozens of people that pass on health club memberships regularly, because they can’t afford it in their budget, they aren’t secure enough or they aren’t educated properly on how it can change their lives.
Over the years, the fitness industry has presented price options that vary from $10 a month to more than $200, which you would think would allow people of all demographics to purchase a membership. But yet they don’t. Why is that?
For the past 15 years all I’ve heard is how Physical Education was being removed from the educational curriculum. Even when I was in high school, we were only required to have P.E. our freshman year — I suppose as you get older it’s less necessary for movement.
If obesity is truly an epidemic in our country, then why do we continually take exercise away? When memberships have to jump this year in the D.C. area due to a 5.75 percent tax, how do you think members will react? They will cancel and say they will exercise outside, but they won’t. In Rachel’s blog, she interviewed David von Storch, the founder of VIDA Fitness, who said that when people quit a gym they generally exercise less.
He also stated that the Chairman of the Council didn’t belong to a fitness club. Could he have one in his house? Possibly, but if not, what kind of message is he sending as a leader?
I agree that even leaders should have the freedom to decide their own health. However, as a nation struggling with healthy lifestyles, how can we ever change without our leaders leading us in that direction?
How can our federal government preach on the importance of healthy lifestyles in America, but allow a tax of this sort to be created in its own backyard?
If we want to change as a nation, we need to stop taking one step forward and two steps back. We need to be able to engage people and provide them with healthy options, but if we continually charge them more for those options, how can we expect our citizens to pay it?
It’s time that we decide as a country how we want our nation to live. It’s time for our government, both on a local and national level to act, not just speak. We must establish opportunities for people to get healthy, support each person’s effort and help transform our nation. We must stop taking steps backwards, and begin to take more steps forward to perpetuate change in our nation.
Tyler Montgomery is the editor of Club Solutions Magazine. Contact him at tyler@clubsolutionsmagazine.com.
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Tyler Montgomery is a former writer for Club Solutions Magazine.
Here in Baton Rouge, LA, we pay 9% on health club memberships – 4% state tax and 5% city/parish!