Paying up to keep fit
Tennessee taxes on food, gyms makes staying healthy harder than it needs to be
After former Memphis Tigers basketball star Will Coleman recently led Shelby County commissioners through some simple moves geared to rev their metabolism — along with their commitment to inspiring people in this obesityplagued county to get fit — he told me something that few could dispute.
“Fitness,” Coleman said, “wasn’t meant to be complicated.” He’s right. But here, poverty and shortsightedness conspire to make it harder than it should be.
Tennessee is one of 14 states that taxes groceries. Since it is home to Mem-
phis, the second-poorest city in the nation, that means many people struggle to afford fresh produce and other foods that could keep them healthy.
On top of that, for every 100,000 people in Shelby County, there’s only 20 grocery stores, but 73 fast-food joints. Then there’s the shortsightedness. Last year, the state’s Department of Revenue enforced a rule which punishes fitness centers that offer personal training and fitness classes as part of its memberships. Unless those centers are larger than 15,000 square feet, they are subjected to a 10 percent sales tax.
That sales tax is considered an amusement tax — apparently because people who choose to get fit through, say, spinning, aren’t learning a skill like, say, fencing.
They’re just playing around. Amusing themselves.
For Justin Lamance, who owns four Crossfit Hit & Run studios in Memphis, and who offers free classes once a week for the community, a 10-percent fee could repel paying members.
And losing them could lead to him not being able to afford free fitness sessions to people who are already struggling to buy healthy food.
“I have free classes every Saturday morning called ‘Saturday Reachout,’” Lamance said. “But making my group (paying members) smaller by making me raise my prices won’t help.”
“Considering all the problems we have with obesity in this state, it sends the message that Tennessee is OK with taxing the true key to good health.”
That’s the message the Shelby County Commission is trying to counteract.
Last month, it began the “healthyshelby19,” fitness campaign. Which is good, considering that thousands of people fight obesity-related diseases.
According to Better Tennessee, a health report card published by Blue Cross/blue Shield of Tennessee, 1 out of every 3 Shelby County residents struggles with diabetes.
It’s also the seventh leading cause of death in the county, and black people, who make up more than half of Shelby County residents, made up 67 percent of those who died from diabetes between 2012 and 2014.
Mayor Lee Harris said the campaign aims to expose citizens to simple steps to begin healthier lifestyle. The bootcamp, in which Coleman did a five-minute workout that most people can do in their homes to get their blood circulating and metabolism going in the morning, was organized by Harris and Commissioner Brandon Morrison.
Nonetheless, Harris said, taxing fitness centers is a backward move for a state with the nation’s 15th highest adult obesity rate.
“I’m against it,” said Harris, who also said he wanted to open more fitness centers in county buildings. “Most of the people in our community who own gyms are small business owners. We want people to be healthy, and we want them to go to the gym.”
As far as nutrition goes, Morrison said she would like to see Shelby County promote more agricultural development.
“We are an agricultural mecca,” she said. “We can produce more locally grown fruits and vegetables in all our communities.”
It’s commendable for the commission to promote healthy lifestyles, especially since it is directly related to the welfare of much of the community it represents.
But while the commission is showing people how to make small changes, such as considering vegan meals and 5minute morning workouts, it’s also important to target the systemic obstacles that complicate people’s efforts to build healthy lives.
Paying taxes on food is one of those obstacles. And so is a mentality which views fitness through a lens of frivolity, and not one of health.
As long as those barriers exist, too many people will cave to the notion that exercise and good nutrition isn’t essential, but extra.
Sadly though, over time, their hearts and their blood sugar will pay for that surrender.
Reach Tonyaa Weathersbee at tonyaa.weathersbee@commercialappeal. com or on Twitter at @tonyaajw.