One of my most memorable late night bar conversations was over the plastic surgery tax, otherwise referred to as the "nose job tax" or (my personal favorite) the "boob job tax." I have no idea how the topic arose, but I certainly recall one young man as he vehemently declared, "I think we are taxing low self-esteem, and I think that's just plain sad!" Oh please! Babies in microwaves, genocide in Africa, the death of Jerry Orbach from Law and Order... now that's truly sad. The plastic surgery tax... not so much.

Regardless, I was indeed happy to learn that just last week New Jersey lawmakers voted to lift the tax, which should save local tax payers roughly 12 million dollars this year. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 86 percent of cosmetic surgery patients are working women, many of whom, despite major misconception, seek out plastic surgery to relive physical pain and improve their overall psychological health. They also discovered that the tax seriously increased the health care burden on the uninsured.

New Jersey became the first and only state to tax medical procedures in 2004. The revenue was not as high as had been projected. While, in truth, I would love to tax those greedy all-natural C-cup women who go under the knife for a pair of perky double Ds, I agree with the majority in the medical community who feel the vanity tax sets a pretty dangerous precedent. What are your thoughts?