ATLANTA, GA — Lawmakers love to pretend that they’re deeply sensitive to the sorrows of their constituents and no better way to show off their high moral values than playing the blame-and-tax game with adult entertainment businesses. Georgia state legislators have discovered this for themselves, with several promoting a possible strip club “pole tax” allegedly aimed at funding ailing sex abuse programs.“This is the industry that creates the problem,” Republican Sen. Renee Unterman claimed on Thursday without providing evidence. “They’re financing what they created.”
Specifically, politicians from both major parties point to a rising tendency toward child prostitution within the state. According to Unterman and her supporters, legal adult entertainment is responsible for this and must be addressed by a $3 – $5 per person club tax, as well as a requirement that all exotic dancers, club waitresses and bartenders be at least 21 years of age.
A similar tax was attempted by Texas in 2008 but struck down as unconstitutional. Georgia tax sponsors insist that they have written their proposal in a fashion that will pass legal muster.
State Sen. Jack Murphy intends to introduce the bill next week, although there are questions about how much revenue the tax would actually bring in… or whether it is even politically justifiable.
“As a conservative,” Murphy told the press, “I’m not for any tax increase.”
Many Republicans agree with him.
Nonetheless, Murphy joins Unterman in believing that rehabilitation centers for teen prostitutes will have a better impact upon Georgia than providing youth with criminal detention centers. It is estimated that between 200 – 300 minors are sexually abused within Georgia each month.
One issue influencing the matter is a proposed $500,00 cut in state funding for the Georgia Regional Assessment Center, which provides therapy to former child prostitutes. Although the funding has been at least temporarily maintained, Gov. Sonny Perdue would like to see it removed.
Unsurprisingly, strip club owners and managers insist that the tax would damage their business, which is already feeling the effects of a decaying economy. They hope to remind legislators that such a tax would also affect waitresses, bar tenders, kitchen staff and parking attendants, all of whom depend upon an active customer base for their continued employment.
Republican Sen. Don Balfour does not anticipate great enthusiasm from the Senate, pointing out that “A lot of people don’t correlate strip clubs with child prostitution.”
And for good reason.
