Illinois Plans $5 Skin Tax For Strip Clubs, Owners In An Uproar

Illinois charges sin taxes for cigarettes, casino gambling and booze and now lawmakers in the state want to add a $5 skin tax for entrance into strip clubs.

State Senator Toi Hutchinson says money raised from the $5 admittance fee will be used to pay for rape crisis counseling. Hutchinson argues that businesses that deal in booze and flesh should aid victims of sex crimes.

Club owners in the meantime say smaller strip clubs will be run out of business which in turn will cause hundreds of strippers, bartenders, bouncers and valets to lose their jobs.

In speaking for the sin tax Hutchinson noted:

“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. We all need to be working toward a society that understands violence against women is inappropriate in all circumstances and all times.”

Legislation is still being drafted and would require any strip club owner who serves alcohol or allows it to be consumed in their buildings to charge a $5 per person admittance fee. Money from the tax would then go into a state sexual assault prevention fund.

The move to charge a strip club surtax may be met with friction from club owners, however it’s still a better option for club owner then forced closures. Over the last several decades many cities have passed ordinances to close topless bars or stop the serving of alcohol in those establishments.

Hutchinson decided to propose the $5 skin tax after money available to the prevention and treatment of rape victims dwindled in recent years. The bill is supported by the Coalition Against Sexual Assault. That coalitions fee decreased $1.2 million the past three budget years

Club owners are now hoping Chicago lobbyist Al Ronan can kill the bill. Speaking to the Chicago Tribune he said:

“I think $5 is an absolute industry killer. At some point, we’re going to try to come in with an alternative plan … with money for the state coming from our industry. … We’re not out to kill it. We’re out to do it right.”

Do you think a $5 skin tax in Illinois will kill the strip club industry?