Pole Tax

[rowyn]

OK, this isn't especially a subject near and dear to my heart -- I don't much care if state governments decide to levy extra taxes on strip clubs. I figure it's kind of sleazy, the same way levying extra taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, gasoline, and gambling is kind of sleazy and done mainly because the government knows that these are markets unusually resistant to change based on cost. (Ie, you have to make gasoline or cigarettes really expensive before it starts to deter people from driving or smoking.) In essence: "We're charging them because we can get away with it." Fine, whatever. I'd kind of prefer a nice flat sales tax but I'm never getting it anyway, I give up.

But then I saw this argument: Texas said it isn't levying the fee to discourage pole dancing. Instead, the state says by deterring people from going to clubs, the fee would help reduce rapes that it claimed are linked to drinking alcohol while watching dancers disrobe.

OH PLEASE. You honestly expect me to believe that? Would it kill you to admit "we're taxing them because we need the money and taxes don't much affect their behavior, plus strip club patrons are a minority that's embarrassed by itself so they won't stand up for themselves anyway"? Nooooo, you have to come up with some incredibly lame explanation like "strip clubs cause rapes but we're too nice to outlaw them so we've decided to profit from it instead". 9.9

Comments

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

We used to call them "sin" taxes down here in Texas. Of course, with the Republican hatred for the word tax and them being firmly in power nowdays, they've done everything possible under the sun to hide the fact that yes, they are taxes, and yes, they themselves created them.

[rowyn]

I think part of the reason they don't want to use the "sin tax" argument is the same reason they run into crimalizing problems -- 1st amendment. Smoking and drinking aren't protected under "freedom of expression", but nude dancing actually is. So they're running into legal problems single strip clubs out for a tax where they don't with other products.

But I don't see how the "but this tax stops rape!" argument helps any with the constitutionality question. Unless you argue that nude dancing fails the "shouting fire in a crowded theatre" test. Which would be an even DUMBER argument. :D

Anyway -- agreed that it's still a sin tax, and calling a tax anything else is silly at best, and doublespeak at worst.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

This isn't *really* related, but it reminds me of the new language all the stupidly overcomplicated contracts for simple things have been adding lately.

Late fees aren't 'fees' now -- they're 'liquidated damages' related to the cost of tracking the delinquent account.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, there's a lot of mind-numbing idiocy of that sort.

Gov't regulation: "You can't charge a document preparation fee on consumer loans".
Bank: "Okay. Can we charge origination fees?"
Gov't: "Sure, those are fine."
Bank: "We'll be sure to rename all our document preparation fees to 'origination', then."

x.x

[rowyn]

That was me -- for some reason, over the last few weeks, my phone gets logged out of LJ after 0-10 page loads, seemingly at random.