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state capital to protest the move. It con-
ducted a “lobby day” in Albany on March
4, which involved face-to-face meetings
with state senators and representatives
that were bolstered by follow-up phone
calls and messages.
The industry’s efforts bore fruit on
March 11, when Paterson announced that
he’d reached an agreement with legisla-
tive leaders to not extend the sales tax to
club membership dues and services.
Once the deal had been finalized, IHRSA savored the achievement:
“This is an incredible victory, especially considering the massive deficit
facing New York,” observed Joe Moore, the association’s president and
CEO. “It’s a testament to the power of working together. With IHRSA
collaborating with concerned fitness professionals, our lobbyist, and the
people of New York, we were able to highlight the inconsistent messaging
of an ‘obesity’ tax on sodas and a ‘healthy lifestyle tax’ on preventative
exercise, and stop this unfair and ill-conceived proposal in its tracks.”
Game Plan for Success in 2010
Even though state governments have confronted the fiscal dilemma facing
them, and have finalized budgets for 2010 that address unpleasant realities,
the pressure to cut costs and increase revenues remains intense. It seems
unlikely that gradual and modest improvements in the economy this year—
the consensus of most of the experts—will remedy the problem. Revenue
streams will have to increase significantly before lawmakers completely
abandon the idea of taxing healthy lifestyles.
It also seems unlikely that the tendency to impose licensing requirements
on personal trainers will disappear. Georgia may have pioneered the
concept, but, last year, four other states attempted to make use of it. “
We were able to…
stop this unfair and
IHRSA anticipates a growing number of legislative battles revolving around
ill-conceived pro-
this issue.
IHRSA, sensitive to the ongoing risks, can’t depend on an economic
posal in its tracks.
turnaround to eliminate them, but, as it always has, will continue to rely
on its own efforts and those of its member clubs and the industry at large
to deal with them effectively. Much of its past, and future, success is due

to its ability to employ a team of state lobbyists to represent the industry’s
interests, day to day, in state legislatures. That, in turn, owes a great deal
to the members of the Public Policy Council (PPC) who, over the past 10
years, have collectively contributed millions of dollars to the IDF.
The IDF directly supports the association’s lobbying efforts nationwide,
supplying lobbyists in important front-line states so that they can wage war
against dangerous and misguided legislation, such as the imposition of
a sales tax, prohibitions on the use of automatic renewal in membership
contracts, and the burdensome licensure of personal trainers. As the IDF
grows in strength, so, too, do the industry’s prospects. To find out how you
can play a part in opposing dangerous legislation, contact Meredith Poppler,
IHRSA’s vice president of industry growth, today at 800-228-4772, Ext.129,
or mpoppler@ihrsa.org. —|
– Tim Sullivan, ts@ihrsa.org, and Amy Bantham, aeb@ihrsa.org
www.ihrsa.org | JANUARY 2010 | Club Business International
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