Illinois lawmaker proposes strip club tax
SPRINGFIELD — An Illinois lawmaker wants to tax admissions to strip clubs to raise money for sexual assault prevention, arguing that a mix of alcohol and nude dancing contribute to violence against women.
Sen. Toi Hutchinson, an Olympia Fields Democrat, is calling for the clubs to pay a $5 tax for every customer. She plans a news conference Friday with Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon and women’s advocates to promote the legislation.
Simon said Thursday that she has no problem with the state collecting money from an industry that she considers harmful.
“I think it’s fair to lean on those sorts of entertainment to provide money for services intended to reduce violence toward women,” said Simon, a Carbondale Democrat.
Strip clubs strongly object to the plan — at least at the $5 level — and disagree with the claim that their clubs contribute to violence. They predict a tax would force smaller clubs to close their doors, putting people out of work.
A lobbyist for the Illinois Club Owners Association said there may be ways that strip clubs can contribute without being driven out of business.
“At some point, we’re going to try to come in with an alternative plan. with money for the state coming from our industry,” lobbyist Al Ronan, a former legislator, told the Chicago Tribune. “We’re not out to kill it. We’re out to do it right.”
Texas has a similar law that taxes the businesses per customer, which was upheld by the state’s Supreme Court last year. Officials say the Texas law could raise as much as $44 million.
The Illinois legislation would apply to strip clubs that sell liquor or allow customers to bring it in. Clubs could choose how to collect the tax, whether it’s raising entrance fees, charging more for drinks or taking it from the bottom line.
“My kids are growing up in a different age, a different time, and I want the communities that they live in to be safe for them,” Hutchinson said. “We all need to be working toward a society that understands violence against women is inappropriate in all circumstances and all times.”
The executive director of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Polly Poskin, said there is little chance the tax would close strip clubs. But they should be required to help women who need aid, she said.
“It’s selling women’s bodies for business profits. We know from our work and the studies we look at that these effects on women are very detrimental and harmful,” Poskin said.
There were more than 5,000 sexual assaults reported to Illinois law enforcement in 2009, although many go unreported, she said.
David E. Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, said his ideal solution would be to shut the strip clubs down, but he doesn’t object to taxing them for help sexual assault victims and prevention. He doubts it will force any clubs to close.
“We keep taxing tobacco, but they keep selling cigarettes,” Smith said.