Strip clubs in Houston, Texas are using their pole tax for some good, helping rape victims. The city apparently doesn’t have enough money to collect rape kits so strip club goers will be paying an addition $5 tax to help out the cause. All clubs that host adult entertainment, such as wet tee-shirt contests, are subjected to the tax that is expected to raise about $3 million a year. Read more below.
Want to help Houston foot the bill for its rape investigations? Visit a strip club. The city doesn’t have the funds to quickly analyze evidence collected in rape kits, so the City Council passed an ordinance yesterday imposing a $5-per-visitor “pole tax” on strip joints and other clubs that host adult entertainment (think wet T-shirt contests). The money collected will go toward processing Houston’s rape kits; an estimated 6,000 sit untested, the Wall Street Journal reports. With 30 clubs subject to the tax, as much as $3 million could be raised annually.
Supporters of the fee, which passed 14-1, say that strip clubs contribute to sexual assaults by fostering an unhealthy attitude about women that could ultimately lead to sexual assaults; opponents point out the lack of studies proving that. Texas already levies a $5-per-customer “pole tax” on strip clubs, meaning Houston clubs will have double the fee. But, says a City Council member, “When you look at videos of these clubs and see women putting $5, $10, and $20 dollar bills in their remaining clothing, I don’t think a $5 tax will hurt anybody.”
