Can I deduct a gym membership for the purpose of capital raising?

[Dan Nguyen]

I belong to a clubhouse gym that wealthy people belong to. The cost of the membership is absurd compared to a regular gym membership and the only reason why I'm paying for this membership is to meet high net worth individuals to raise capital for my business.

I think I know the answer to this but considering if the purpose of the gym was just to get fit alone, I would have no desire to pay a premium to go move some weights but in this case, am I allowed to deduct this as a business expense for networking purposes?
 

[Ashish Acharya]

Originally posted by @Dan Nguyen:

I belong to a clubhouse gym that wealthy people belong to. The cost of the membership is absurd compared to a regular gym membership and the only reason why I'm paying for this membership is to meet high net worth individuals to raise capital for my business.

I think I know the answer to this but considering if the purpose of the gym was just to get fit alone, I would have no desire to pay a premium to go move some weights but in this case, am I allowed to deduct this as a business expense for networking purposes?
 

No. You can’t no matter what is your reasoning, especially after tax cuts and jobs act.