Gym/fitness club memberships should be tax-free or atleast partially tax-free (with cap on the amount), in order to provide an economic incentive to physical activity.
It is well accepted that physical activity offers preventive health benefits. These benefits would reduce the overall cost associated with the treatment of preventable diseases. This offers a potential avenue for cost reduction in health care. In attempts to encourage fitness among its citizen, goverments (federal and state) should offer economic incentives.
Tax incentives for membership would provide economic incentive of physical activity provided by fitness centers, which can be used irrespective of outside weather conditions.
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Although I agree that physical fitness should be encouraged the concept that health as an objective is less attractive than a monetary reward strikes me as a distortion of values. There are many medical reasons not related to exercise for people being unfit and they should not be penalized for their incapabilities.
I think this idea has merit. Physical fitness can be something that needs persuasion. People are motivated in different ways. A tax incentive may be the one thing that pushes a "second guesser" to move forward and by doing so help themselves... and by doing so, help the society they live in.
I wholly agree with this idea. I'm not sure if medical insurance companies offer similar incentives, so a nod to savings in this area would also be worth it.