December 22, 2007
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Strip Clubs and Taxes
Starting New Year’s Day, strip clubs in Texas will have to collect a $5-per-customer tax.
Most of the proceeds from the “pole tax” are said to be going to help rape victims. The concern is that the tax may put some strip clubs out of business.
Some customers “resent the implication that strip clubs lead men to commit sex crimes.” Here is the link: Link
Do you think it is unfair to tax strip clubs to raise money to help rape victims?
Comments (68)
sounds reasonableish
i tink it’s more about trying to help people out than it is about the “implication that strip clubs lead men to commit sex crimes.”
i guess we’ll just have to see how it goes
They tax us for everything else…
I like the term “pole tax!”
I don’t think it’s unfair. But I do think it’s confusing. Strip club tax to raise rape victims… I can’t even think of a witty retort to this. It’s just perplexing.
yeah sure… why not.
i agree with whatever bittersunday says.
Yes, I do think it is unfair.
There is an undinable connection between drinking and traffic accidents. Likewise, there is a causation between smoking and lung cancer. These links seem fair enough to warrent special tax on alcohol products and tobacco products. The cauitive argument between strippers and rape victims seem a poor one. If there is a strong argument, I’d like to see it.
Otherwise, the tax seems disproportionally large; and the reasoning for the tax smells of bull-shit.
no, just somewhat ironic
kind of odd
Think of it as a donation to the victims.
I think strip clubs actually help prevent rape… but it’s still a good cause. And they’ll survive. Just like they thought the smoking ban would put the strip clubs here out of business. They’re still around.
While we’re on the topic, why not tax churches to help science education in the U.S.?
I don’t know. Strip clubs are not what I would call a respectable business, though. Only time I ever set foot in one was to use a restroom when my wife and I were traveling late one night and everything else was closed. Fortunately the restroom was in a foyer, not in the lounge area.
i live in Texas….dont really go to strip clubs…. but I dont think they should tax us if we want to go to a place of business… we already pay sales, cig, and alcohol tax….. why tax even more?
I can understand the position that some men would resent the idea that if they see a stripper that there is a higher probablility that they will commit a sex crime. However, $5 tax towards sex related crimes sounds reasonable, as they’re underfunded as it is.
’nuff said….
P.s I agree with what bittersunday will say.
Sure! Tax them.
It’s fair.
Texas lotto funds education.
Let strip clubs help rape victims.
Might as well make lust pay off in some way.
How interesting…though I will not have to worry about that tax…
What huggin said…
“Sin” taxes are basically meant to punish the purchaser for the added costs that the product inflicts on society. Alcohol and tobacco being the most common…(isn’t there a sin tax on tires and a host of other hard to dispose products as well though?) Cancer can impose heavier costs on the government. Pollution imposes a heavier cost on everyone in society. Strip clubs do what? Provide a place for horny guys to go to? It is very doubtful a strong link exists between strip clubs causing people to become rapists (or even strongly influencing them). Ditto for strip clubs causing cancer, pollution, etc. Therefore it is just the texas government finding a way to get more money without pissing anyone important off.
Of course it isn’t fair since there is no link at all except in the deluded minds of the people making this law. But if you could prove that the causation goes in the implied direction, however unlikely that may seem, then it would be fine to tax them in this way… provided they at the same time reduce other taxes that they have to pay accordingly. Fairness doesn’t have that much to do with it. It’s just a very effective strategy for coping with social harm.
So nex time you come to Texas and visit, we can’t frequent the strip clubs without ten extra one-dollar bills? The shame…
That’s $5 that won’t feed a needy stripper’s family.
I wander off for a while and you’re still reading my posts, huh?
Thanks.
Huginn, wouldn’t taxing churches to fund education violate the separation of church and state?
*blinking innocent stare*
slightly, but strip clubs aren’t necessary. if people don’t want to pay the tax, they don’t have to go.
Can’t imagine it being unfair. I mean, those people are amongst the lowest of the low. I do find it kind of ironic, however.
i’d support it
I don’t see anything wrong with it.
Yeah, but I can’t say I dislike the idea.
A strip club on the edge of going out of business probably isn’t that good a strip club anyway. The best strippers from that bar going out of business will go to another bar, thus raising the over all quality of strip clubs. So it’s actually a good thing… Err…
I don’t know. I’m tired.
Well, even as a rape victim, I disagree with the idea that strip clubs lead to sex crimes. However, I think this is a rather fitting way to raise rape awareness and help rape victims. If anyone has an issue with it, I’d just suggest they not visit strip clubs any more!
This is very interesting! And I don’t think it’s unfair.
No. Put the strip clubs out of business. Have some decency.
A small tax isn’t unfair. The implication that people who frequent strip clubs are more likely to be rapists is.
I think people are confusing correlation with causation in the case of pornography and strip clubs, and also in the case of violence in the TV or in games. A person who is likely to commit a sex crime probably will enjoy pornography and strip clubs just as a person who is violent in nature likely enjoys violent games and movies. However that does not mean that watching pornography, going to a sex club or watching a violent movie or playing a violent game makes that person more likely to commit a crime. Millions of ordinary people enjoy all the above forms of entertainment without any harm. One does not walk into a cinema screening a violent movie and come out a murderer! I am the very opposite of a violent person, and I’ve played violent video games in the past, did this turn me into a serial killer. Of course not, unfortunately we have lawmakers abusing statistics without ever having taken so much as a single class in statistics. Watching somebody strip isn’t going to turn you into a rapist unless you are already a rapist.
Good morning, Dan! Nice layout! Sin taxes suck!
“It seems clear legislators are targeting strip clubs because they’re unpopular,” Turley said. “Laws like this would expose any unpopular industry to punitive taxes. It could be abortion clinics.”
Really, Mr. Turley…?
Let’s tax the whole mall santa thing. The proceeds can go to me, for having to listen to little Betty Sue scream at the top of her lungs because she has been forced to sit on some random person’s lap so mommy and daddy can have a photo to remember this hideous moment.
We have a tax on cigarretts to help pay for health care. There are use taxes on a number of items. I don’t see why that would be any different.
True. I don’t think strip clubs lead to rape.
absolutely not
pole tax… LOL!
Its a titty tax
They tax the hours of your day, the roof over your head and the clothes on your back, right now. It is so funny what people get excited about.
Yes, it is unfair.
Yes, it is unfair. All taxation is unfair.
Honestly though the government doesn’t give a damn, they would prefer that we have zero rights and that there aren’t any businesses except those run by the Government because then people might not realize how worthless the Government is when they try to do something. I hate the Government.
Strip clubs should be shut down!
I think it’s a wonderful idea. But, instead of having it go toward rape victims, it should fund marriage counselling. Guys that go to strip clubs don’t necessarily become rapists – but a ton of marriages have ended (even before they started) over them.
Think of prevention!
God help me, but yes, it is unfair.
If strip clubs contribute in any way to rape, then they’re too dangerous to be open. And if they don’t contribute to rape, the burden of helping rape victims should be upon us all, not just strip clubs.
I think it’s absolutely unfair. I don’t support such establishments and don’t think people should go, but it’s an unfair tax. While we’re at it, maybe people who go to Burger King should pay $2 to help obese kids go to fat camp.
no.
It’s not a bad idea, but the idea that watching strippers leads to rape seems…silly to me.
<33
Is i unfair to tax cigerrettes everytime you want to build something or balance your out of control spending?
I like it. I don’t think strip clubs lead those to rape. However, those that rape may be more likely to visit a strip club.
mmmasquerade slightly, but strip clubs aren’t necessary. if people don’t want to pay the tax, they don’t have to go.
The necessity of strip clubs has little to no bearing on the fariness of the far $5 “pole tax.” Baseball games, television, internet, and shopping malls are likewise unnecessary for our survival, perhaps, maybe you think they should be taxed too?
morbidFRAGRANCE Can’t imagine it being unfair. I mean, those people are amongst the lowest of the low.
This is terrifying. You’re saying that since you find strip-club goers to be pathetic, then it’s perfectly okay to tax them however we’d like? I’d hate to imagine the sort of legislation you’d endorse dealing with the homeless or recovering drug addicts.
Don_Cauchi I can understand the position that some men would resent the idea that if they see a stripper that there is a higher probablility that they will commit a sex crime. However, $5 tax towards sex related crimes sounds reasonable, as they’re underfunded as it is.
As others have already pointed out: Yes, the state rape victim funds could use funding; but there’s no good reason to pick on strip clubs in particular. There are better funding sources and funding policies out there. Texas is a very large state, after all. It seems to me that strip club goers are only picked on because A.) They’re easy targets, and B.) It’s unpopular to actually stand up for them.
Fair or not, it is a very clever piece of legislation. One that was a shoe-in to pass! If, as a lawmaker, it is your job to find find funding, then what should you do? Raise the sales tax more? What about a small income tax? After all, Texas doesn’t do that now. It would only be a small tax. Or you could target those economic areas perceived as “vices”. That is the easiest and smartest thing a lawmaker could do.
If $5 puts them out of business, maybe they just aren’t good enough….
Unfair, perhaps not – they’re logical places to tax.
On what ground? Sheesh!
I think that’s fair. Why not?
not really…atleast this time the tax isn’t going to fund education. and what did they mean by most of the money where are they planning on spending that other portion and how much is that going to be. is that part going to be given as refunds to members of the state government who frequent strip clubs?
Tax the church because they claim to be working towards the greater good of the people anyway (so let them contribute to ALL of society) and if they think there’s a link between strip clubs and rape victims just shut them all down straight away. Sorted.
If it can be proven that this is so than I guess the tax is justified BUT if that’s not the case than its just another way for the state of Texas to gain revenue…I should know I live smack in the middle of Austin, Texas…I don’t believe that strip clubs are the cause of rapes, there’s not that many rapes in the state of Texas to justify this type of taxation. Politicians need to prove this. At some point people need to be held accountable for their actions but taxing the patrons of an immoral business because someone in the Texas government believes this will help rape victims is a farce, common sense tells us that it does not take the taxing of every male who frequents a strip club to help a handful of rape victims who by most accounts will probably not be able to prove that strip clubs & the males who frequent them are to blame.
This is going to open the door to taxing every adult business in the state as well all pornographic material that is sold to the public out of every convenience store, it will be very interesting to see what happens in the future.
I think we should tax anyone on here who makes a stupid comment.
It dont think its fair, and the tax seems awful high… If there were proof that strip bars caused rape, It would make more sense.
No, I think it’s awesome.
it’s unfair in the sense that it leads to incorrect conclusions about strip clubs… furthermore, it would be more helpful to teach good self defense/assertiveness to women as to decrease the number of rape victims to begin with.
Yes….why not?…..but I think they should also require the stripper to pay the $5 tax per night/day as well.
WTF!? Y’mean all of those greasy and crumpled singles I’ve doled out over all these years…has conditioned me to be a rapist? I had no idea…
Guess they will be upping the tax on porn next…aww hell
> “IF” that’s what it’s used for, sure, they could call it a luxury tax, ’cause if you got the money to view, it must be a luxury….
Peace