25% Porn Tax Considered as Solution to California Budget Shortfall

[oldpol]

Source: KUTV.com News

Porn Tax Considered As Solution To Budget Shortfall
Written by: Doug G. Ware
LOS ANGELES - California state lawmakers are considering an unusual idea to solve the state's huge budget shortfall: Tax pornography.

The idea was proposed by a state assemblyman, and would impose a 25 percent tax on the production and sales of pornographic videos -- the vast majority of which are made in southern California.

It is unknown, however, how seriously lawmakers will take the idea or how the porn business would deal with the new tax. It is likely, though, that porm-makers would simply pass the cost along to consumers by making pornographic materials more expensive.

However, many economists believe that pornography is an industry with inelastic demand -- meaning market conditions typically don't affect consumers' desire for the product. In other words, it is believed that most porn consumers would continue to buy regardless of how much it cost.

A potential economic downside to the tax proposal is that porn producers could leave California to manufacture and distribute videos in other states that don't impose the tax

Read more: http://www.kutv.com/content/news/watercooler/story.aspx?content_id=7276089e-3b07-44e9-9ce4-2cd6e1c31b37

[Liberal Veteran]

1. People BUY porn?

[BlooInBloo]

3. Ok - that's a shorter way of putting my point. LOL!

[BlooInBloo]

2. Without taxing the internet, it seems like a guaranteed fail to me...

It's cute to use big words like "inelastic demand", but the alternative to paying more is to find an alternate source.

[oldpol]

8. sounds like the costs would be passed on to the customers on the net

if there was a 25% tax in production or on sales

[BlooInBloo]

22. My point is that taxing the internet is a tought row to hoe.

[The Sushi Bandit]

29. ho??

[GoesTo11]

4. What will they do with all the surplus generated?

[DJ13]

5. Forget the porn tax, just issue "stiff" fines

[oldpol]

6. the solution to the energy crisis---tax PrOn!

I'm sure this will be popular in the valley... :)

[AlphaCentauri]

9. "in the valley" all those prostitutes that appear in the movies reside in that area?

[oldpol]

10. they don't call it 'Porn Valley' for nothing! ;)

I can't wait for the protests, nude picketing etc. :)

[greiner3]

7. The industry could explore every orrifice;

And in the end, a true rise in the industry will emerge!

[AlphaCentauri]

11. many GOP's will declare bankruptcy paying that much tax for their "basic human needs"

[oldpol]

15. does this mean Larry Craig has to go back to the bathroom stalls again

its a hard knock life for him....

[AlphaCentauri]

39. yep he'll go for the freebies

[dkofos]

12. Does anybody really need to buy it??

So much for free on the internets!!

[stratomagi]

13. The porn market is already declining with all the free stuff available online, why tax it?

The only time i've ever payed for adult related stuff is usually as gag gifts, most sensible folks can wank for free indefinetly on the internets.

[AlphaCentauri]

24. Yep Tax prostitution

[doodadem]

14. I would be THRILLED........

If it would drive the "Girls Gone Wild" guy out of business. Man I hate that crap every other commercial!

[stratomagi]

25. Totally ruins my Comedy Central experience....

though I am planning to go on spring break now until my late 40's :P

[Yavapai]

16. 25 % !!!

Give them an inch and they will take a...

Oh, it's not 25% of that?

Never-mind

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

20. If they start taxing by the inch...

"Lex Steel" is goin' down. So to speak.

[Duke Newcombe]

17. Getting screwed by the government for watching screwing.

The irony does not escape me.

Duke

[roamer65]

18. Tax religion.

You'll get a lot more revenue.

[Occulus]

19. Well for fuck's sake

:D

[Taverner]

21. Won't survive the courts

Chilling effect, and its bad taxation at that. Kind of like taxing cigarettes in California - you end up with butkus.

[cloudythescribbler]

43. the word is "Bupkes" (yiddish), literally meaning "beans" ...

The famous Groucho Marx line "I've worked my way up from nothing -- to a state of extreme poverty ..." is a translation of the old Yiddish joke "I've worked my way up from makkes {meaning "nothing") to bupkes {literally meaning 'beans' but in this context referring to 'extreme poverty').

Although perhaps it's 'butkus' in the 'Armenian Yiddish' dialect

[Sherman A1]

23. But wait,

what about the idea of "smaller" government?


:spank:

[seriousstan]

26. Turn off your filters and google "porn".......nuff said.

[hokies4ever]

27. NO!!! I mean, it won't affect me

cause I don't live in CA. :rofl:

[Liberty Belle]

28. Brilliant. How can Republicans oppose, when the "downside" is porno makers could leave CA?

I would think their base should consider that a "benefit" -- unless of course all those upstanding GOP voters are partaking of forbidden fruit.

[Turbineguy]

30. Well there is something

inherently moral about vice paying for government.

[MarkInLA]

31. Really?

The whole concept of "vice" sounds like something from the Victorian Era. It's completely anti-freedom for one group of people to decide what's "moral" for the rest of us.

[Combative Democrat]

32. That's unconstitutional

I think.

[CountAllVotes]

33. oh that would work!!

the Boobengrabber could personally fund it himself I bet! :evilgrin:

[ckramer]

34. porn business has already been half-killed by the free stuff like YouPorn

declined sales and revenue because of that.

[Deja Q]

36. I thought it was called porntube

Oh well. Google is our friends.

[Dark]

37. Got any more sites?

:evilgrin:

[AlphaCentauri]

40. LOL

[girl gone mad]

41. That, and..

they over-produced it during the boom years.

I don't know anyone under 35 that pays for it.

[Deja Q]

35. Nice. Get fingered on candid camera and get the finger too.

[daleo]

38. What's next? a tax on thingy?

Politician Thingy!

Second Official Ah, thingy. Well it'll certainly make chartered accountancy a much more interesting job.

http://www.ibras.dk/montypython/episode15.htm#4

[SpiralHawk]

42. America needs to tax the bejabbers out of Diaper Sex

But no doubt the republicons will do all they can to protect their cherished fetish of choice...

[Kablooie]

44. Tax the prostitutes. That's where all the money is.

And they can get tips as to which ones make the most from their Republican friends.