In a creative effort to raise money, Washington State has decided to slap a 9% sales tax on every yoga class, reports King5 news.
They can justify the tax by classifying yoga as physical fitness and you can just imagine what yoga studio owners have to say about that. "Yoga is not mere physical fitness, dear Mr. Tax Collector, come in and let us show you the path to enlightenment...."
Not only do people now have to pay 9% extra, but some studios are being required to pay back taxes on this initiative. Fun! Try finding an extra $10,000 hanging around at a small or mid-sized yoga studio.
The very cool Anne Phyfe Palmer, owner and director of 8 Limbs Yoga Centers of Seattle, says yoga centers are trying to come to an agreement with the Dept of Novel Tax Ideas. Clearly someone in the picture is not clued in to the higher aims of the practice.
Watch the video of the King 5 segment here.
Epilogue, Nov 29: The state dropped the plan, after realizing it was a bit off in its conception of yoga.