Lawmaker Proposes Strip Club Tax To Fund Rape Crisis Centers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A south suburban lawmaker who wants to tax strip club admissions says the jokes about it are missing the point.
It's been called a skin tax or a pole tax.
Democratic State Sen. Toi Hutchinson said she has heard a lot about her idea to fund rape crisis centers with a $5 per patron tax on strip clubs.
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"In the last 36 hours, it's gone viral," she said. "They have called it all kinds of different names.
"It's easy to make jokes about this, but there is nothing funny about this."
She said that with all the interest in her idea, it must be an important conversation to have.
The plan, which would not apply to strip clubs in Chicago, is opposed by the club industry as a jobs killer. A lobbyist told the Chicago Tribune that there is no scientific proof "that going to an adult club causes people to go out and commit rape, commit crimes."
The bill's proponents say the tax could generate $44 million to help victims of sex crimes, although some experts say that figure may be too high.
A similar law in Texas has survived a court challenge.
