You can take our dignity but not our porn.
New York’s Governor Paterson is pitching new taxes to help the state’s $14 billion budget deficit. Among them: a $10 tax for strip club patrons and tax on Internet downloads for web porn. Similarly, Texas pols want to place a $5 “pole tax” which was struck down as unconstitutional by a state judge. [New York Post] Oh yeah, the forgotten “right to bare boobs.”
Most of these skin taxes have stalled because of conflicts with the First Amendment. No porno, no peace!
Here are other laws striving to cash in on sex:
- Florida is considering raising taxes on adult magazines, strip clubs, and “other sex-themed products.” [MSNBC] That’s probably for the best since old people are all over-sexed anyways.
- Washington state has already endorsed a tax hike on adult movies and other sex-themed products. Still, they want higher sales tax on flesh mags, pornographic photographs, movies, cable and telephone services, audiotapes, computer programs and paraphernalia. [Seattle Times] I don’t like that they’re taxing my best friend vibrators…but I guess our boyfriends can’t afford porn anymore so maybe it will even out?
- Santa Rosa, CA lawmakers are in discussion over tax increases including a hotel bed tax from 9 to 12%, which would generate about $1.2 million. [Press Democrat] Hotel bed sex is the best kind; it’s like Russian roulette with germy body fluid!
- Legislators passed a 3% hotel bed tax increase in Las Vegas which projections show will raise about $230 million. [Las Vegas Sun] These numbers illustrate how many more hotels there are in Vegas than Santa Rosa…You know, Vegas. Where prostitution is legal. Good one.
Photo Credit: [SI.com]
WordUp
Skin tax= tax put on products or services related to the sex industry
By the Numbers
230 million= Dollar amount of revenue expected from Las Vegas’ hotel bed tax increase of 3%
