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

[level-head.livejournal.com]

I think you've got this exactly right. Were the evidence large, the behavior of the regulators (not the dancers!) would be obscene.

As to the flat tax, I think you're going to get it. Many conservatives have argued for the essential fairness and simplicity of a flat tax on all consumption. Their idea was to replace the current "progressive" income tax with the flat tax.

Right about now, the current administration must be thinking: "Why not have both?"

===|==============/ Level Head

[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.

[jurann.livejournal.com]

Um, yeah, if alcohol + strippers = rape, then the government's OBLIGATION would be to ban them, period. =P That's just... They shouldn't even have opened their mouths. =P

[dungeon-grrrl.livejournal.com]

In fact, access to pron seems to reduce rapes. I suspect access to strips clubs would, as well.

This reminds me ...

[detroitfather.livejournal.com]

I read something, perhaps 10 years ago, on Michigan's 10¢ soda bottle tax.

It seems that government really is just necessarily stupid. Because they claimed that the 10¢ deposit would (1) clean up the environment; and (2) raise all kinds of revenue for the state.

There was apparently no admission at the time of the legislation that these goals were antagonistic ones. If you want the state to keep the money, then you have to hope those bottles stay out there in the environment. And if you want the environment to be clean ... well, you have to give the 10¢ back! They were basically double-counting the benefit of the thing.

I think you are right about the "Pole tax" ... it is an easy revenue stream to tap.