OLYMPIA, WA — Without even a hearing within the Washington Legislature to add credibility to its claims, State Rep. Mark Miloscia’s (D-Federal Way) plan to tax all porn consumed within the state’s borders an impressive 18.5-percent has breathed its last.Miloscia had defended his proposal, claiming that revenue raised from it would be directed toward a program that assists men and women unable to work due to physical or mental disabilities.

According to Miloscia, the General Assistance-Unemployable program is currently on the legislative chopping block due to Washington’s large budget deficit.

Under the proposed tax, all adult magazines and videos, as well as telephone services and paraphernalia would have received price boosts courtesy of the 18.5-percent tax.

“We’re in the crisis of a generation,” Miloscia told the Seattle Times. “I’m looking for all sources to try and find money for programs that I care about like GAU and it’s from an industry I think I wouldn’t affect at all.”

Although Rep. Ross Hunter (D-Medina) had told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that he would have liked the proposal to have received a hearing, after seeing House Bill 2103 he later amended his statement, saying only that he feels he has an obligation to help the state simplify its tax structure.

Further, although Hunter expressed sympathy for Miloscia’s intent, he also shared concerns that a content-based tax might be different from the pre-existing general sales tax levied on citizens, resulting in problems implementing it. Given the taboo nature of the content in question, Hunter indicated that “It would have been hard to keep that hearing civilized.”

Among the difficulties that Hunter indicated might arise while determining what qualifies as a pornographic, and therefore taxable, item is the fact that erotic material can be found in so many areas.

“What’s that bakery in Wallingford?” he asked the press, referring to the Erotic Bakery, which whips up clearly adult baked items for bachelorette parties and the like. “I don’t think I’m going to do a differential sales tax on food because it has a large organ on it. I think it’s important that the city has places like that.”