Strip club tax goes to the Illinois Governors Desk
Roman71
From the Chicago Sun Times
May 31, 2012
Strip clubs are one step away from facing a $3-per-customer tax after lawmakers voted to send a measure to Gov. Pat Quinn's desk on Thursday that would help fund sexual assault services.
The bill, which passed 92-23 in the state House, would impose a fee on adult entertainment venues that amounts to $3 per customer or $5,000 to $25,000 a year, depending on a club's receipts and which method of payment the club chooses.
Chief sponsor Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) said the bill, which would apply to clubs that feature nude dancing and serve alcohol or permit its consumption, is an attempt to cut down on the “secondary negative effects associated with sexually-oriented businesses.â€
However, Rep. Jason Barickman, (R-Pontiac) decried the tax and criticized Democrats for wanting to impose the measure in the wake of a partisan budget vote Wednesday night.
“Not 24 hours after you passed the budget, you turn around and ask taxpayers for more money,†he said. “When does it stop?â€
The bill passed without opposition in the Senate last week, when chief sponsor Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) gave an emotional appeal to colleagues about mitigating sexual violence in Illinois.
The bill is House Bill 1645
May 31, 2012
Strip clubs are one step away from facing a $3-per-customer tax after lawmakers voted to send a measure to Gov. Pat Quinn's desk on Thursday that would help fund sexual assault services.
The bill, which passed 92-23 in the state House, would impose a fee on adult entertainment venues that amounts to $3 per customer or $5,000 to $25,000 a year, depending on a club's receipts and which method of payment the club chooses.
Chief sponsor Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) said the bill, which would apply to clubs that feature nude dancing and serve alcohol or permit its consumption, is an attempt to cut down on the “secondary negative effects associated with sexually-oriented businesses.â€
However, Rep. Jason Barickman, (R-Pontiac) decried the tax and criticized Democrats for wanting to impose the measure in the wake of a partisan budget vote Wednesday night.
“Not 24 hours after you passed the budget, you turn around and ask taxpayers for more money,†he said. “When does it stop?â€
The bill passed without opposition in the Senate last week, when chief sponsor Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) gave an emotional appeal to colleagues about mitigating sexual violence in Illinois.
The bill is House Bill 1645
Comments
last commentI think it is BS that the state wants to collect a tax, it will hurt the clubs and hit hard in the wallets of the customers. I can see some clubs going non alcoholic to get around this law.
Customers are likely to spend 50 times or more than that on drinks and dances. But it's the linking the tax to the "secondary effects" of strip clubs that bothers me. I get so tired of the politicians using that BS argument.
Who in the hell ever decided that strip clubs contribute to sexual assault anyhow?