Let’s tax sunshine & marijuana – ideas from NY

Lawmakers in the US have proposed a new five per cent tax on cosmetic surgery. Now web journalist Lori Harfenist, known as The Resident, hit the streets for some straight-talk on what else can be taxed.

The proposed tax is to cover everything from face-lifts and breast implants to teeth whitening. It’s intended to help fund President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform.

US Senate Democrats have now secured the sixty votes needed to move the president’s one trillion dollar healthcare plan to the debate stage in the Senate. The votes were needed to stop a Republican filibuster – or time-delaying move – and speed the bill forward.