N.Y. assemblyman wants to tax patrons of strip bars

[March 11, 2009]  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- You might call it a "pole tax." The New York legislator who brought the nation its first law against driving while using a cell phone is proposing a $10 tax for patrons of nude and seminude dance clubs and strip bars.

Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, a Bronx Democrat, says the revenue would go toward helping victims of human trafficking at a time when government budgets are being slashed.

The bill doesn't have a Senate sponsor yet.

In Texas, state lawyers are fighting to preserve their $5 "pole tax," a cover charge on strip clubs, which is being challenged by business owners.

The Texas Legislature approved the fee in 2007, hoping to spend the money on sexual assault and health insurance programs, but a judge declared it unconstitutional. The state is appealing.

[Associated Press]

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