Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeons – you know the kind who tinker around with nature’s creations to make them more bountiful and beautiful – are up in arms against their city ‘s move to collect higher taxes from them.

Apparently, the Beverly Hills city authorities are coming down heavily on surgery centers after finding that the surgery centers are more like hospitals without overnight stays than like the old doctors offices. The doctors were paying taxes under a “Professional Office” system based on the number and type of employees in the office.

After being asked to fork out a percentage of gross revenues, the cosmetic and plastic surgeons are venting their spleen at the city.

Today’s Wall Street Journal (subscription required) has an interesting piece on the fracas:

Beverly Hills is squabbling with doctors who practice within the city’s 5.7 square miles. After decades of collecting lower taxes from doctors than from other businesses, Beverly Hills is trying to take a bigger cut of the revenue generated from so-called surgery centers, many of which specialize in cosmetic surgery. The city contends the centers become a drain on resources relative to the taxes they pay.

Hard times indeed for these purveyors of gravity-defying orbs and mind blowing lips .