RE: Missouri House Bill 1463

Winter, 2016

Dear Fellow Yoga Students and Teachers,

Will you join me in supporting Missouri House Bill 1463 to prohibit sales tax on yoga class fees at yoga studios and gyms?

Ask your state legislators to support HB1463, sponsored by Representative Eric Burlison, (R) Springfield, that will correct the overreach by the Missouri Department of Revenue’s 2009 re-classification of yoga studios as places of “amusement, entertainment, or recreation” subject to sales tax. It is scheduled for a Ways and Means Committee hearing on Tuesday, January 26, 2016.

HB1463 will differentiate yoga studios and gyms — which contribute to health and well being — from ticketed amusement and entertainment events that collect sales tax.

There are four basic reasons that this legislation should be enacted:

1. This bill will legislatively remedy the disparity

   caused by the Missouri Department of Revenue’s 2009 re-classification of yoga studios as places of “amusement, entertainment, or recreation” subject to sales tax. Note that yoga classes taught onsite at businesses, offices, or homes, as professional services, are not subject to this sales tax. Why unfairly burden yoga studios, who already pay other taxes and license fees, and contribute to the local economy of their neighborhoods?

2. This legislation would prevent the taxation of a professional service,

   the teaching of yoga at a yoga studio. We believe the original intent of the phrase “places of amusement, entertainment, or recreation” applied solely to passive ticketed forms of “entertainment,” such as attending a movie, or passive “recreation,” such as attending a ball game.

3. It is beneficial to not tax efforts that create health and well-being,
   

   the by-product of yoga instruction, that can lessen the burden of skyrocketing medical costs. Plus, the passage of this bill will have a minimal effect on the State budget.[1]

4. Yoga is a spiritual practice that should not be taxed by the State.
   

   It is one of the six schools of philosophy that Indians call “The Six Viewpoints.” The Yoga school of Patanjali — taught at most studios — accepts the existence of God but is non-denominational. Its main concern is achieving spiritual enlightenment through ethical and behavioral precepts, poses, control of the breath and senses, and meditation. The educational aspect of yoga has historically, both in India and the West, enjoyed a special status independent of the Hindu temple.[2]

Email or snail mail the sample letter below to your legislator to make your voice heard.

Thanks.

Bruce M. Roger, Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor

Yoga St Louis, 3305 Jamieson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63139

(314) 645-9785

email: info@yogastlouis.us

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Sample letter that you can personalize:

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Dear State Representative/Senator,[3]

As your constituent, please support Missouri House Bill 1463, sponsored by Representative Eric Burlison, Springfield.

The bill will legislatively remedy the disparity caused when the Missouri Department of Revenue re-classified yoga studios as places of “amusement, entertainment, or recreation” subject to sales tax in 2009. Note that yoga classes taught onsite at businesses, offices, or homes, as professional services, are not subject to this sales tax.

HB1463 will differentiate yoga studios and gyms — which contribute to health and well being — from ticketed amusement and entertainment events that collect sales tax.

Not only is it beneficial to not tax efforts that create health and well-being and lessen medical costs, but also to treat fairly the yoga studios, who already pay other taxes and license fees, and contribute to the local economy of their neighborhoods.

If there is anything I can do to help you support this bill, please let me know.

Thank you.

 

[YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, TEL. HERE]

cc:

Representative Eric Burlison, (R) Springfield, Sponsor Eric.Burlison@house.mo.gov

Andrew Koenig, (R) Manchester, Chair of House Ways and Means Committee Andrew.Koenig@house.mo.gov

 

List of legislators

Eric Burlison Eric.Burlison@house.mo.gov 573-751-0136

Michele Kratky Michele.Kratky@house.mo.gov 573-751-4220

Joseph Keaveny joseph.keaveny@senate.mo.gov (573) 751-3599

http://www.senate.mo.gov/D04WebApps/Contact.aspx

Deb Lavender Deb.Lavender@house.mo.gov 573-751-4069

Eric Schmitt eschmitt@senate.mo.gov (573) 751-2853

Governor Jay Nixon http://governor.mo.gov/get-involved/contact-the-governors-office (573) 751-3222

Footnotes

[1]          In 2010 I estimated Missouri would collect $100,000 per annum in additional sales taxes from about 40 studios. This was extrapolated from the number of students who signed written petitions at their respective studios statewide and collected by me to present to the sponsoring legislator. Even if this number has doubled in the last six years, it would not be an important source of income for Missouri. Moreover, the major growth in yoga has been in non-studio venues, hence non-taxable events.

[2]          In 2010 the Missouri Department of Revenue stated that yoga classes at Hindu temples were non-taxable. This highlights a difference in perspective between the US and India: Although India is a Hindu-majority country, there is no clear dividing line between spiritual and secular life, as there is in the US. That’s why Americans often describe India as spiritual.

In fact, Yoga is one of the six independent schools of thought embraced by Hinduism. However, it is devoid of the ritual and godhead associated with Hindu temple worship. In the US we often define this as spirituality; it is the essence of religious life without its theological basis. Indians do not feel a compelling need to make that distinction.

But even the term Hindu is a corrupted geographical term coined by invaders to denote the land east of the Indus River. Eventually the religion of the people in that area was termed Hinduism by the British. It is the equivalent of referring to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam collectively as “Jordanism,” after the River Jordan. Indians themselves do not define Hinduism as a religion, but as “duty.” It has no central authority, no founding figure, no historical starting point, no single creed or canonical doctrine, and multiple holy books. It shares a wide range of Indian cultural practices with — and has deeply influenced — every other religion in India.

Historically yoga has never been popular in India. But, since yoga has become popular in the US, Indians have begun practicing it here at Hindu temples. However, it is not the main practice. It is a supplementary practice, similar to how your doctor treats disease primarily with drugs or surgery, but may also supplement that with advice on diet to help manage it. Similarly, just as yoga makes you a better Hindu, it will make you a better Christian.

The practice yoga is open to all. I have met Muslims, Christians, Jews, Parsis, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs, as well as Hindus, who take class at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in India, where I have studied numerous times over the last 32 years. In fact, the first non-Iyengar to teach at the Institute was a Muslim.

[3]             Legislator Lookup <http://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/default.aspx/leg_lookup.aspx> returns a linked list of your Missouri and US legislators for your Missouri street address and city. Note: Linked email addresses are listed in the bios for state representatives. State senators show either a linked email address or a web contact form. The governor links to a web contact form.