Lawmakers Plan to Fund State Food Tax Cut by Taxing Pornography
This video is no longer available.
A Tennessee lawmaker has proposed a bill which would reduce or eliminate Tennessee’s 5.5 percent sales tax on groceries. “A lot of people call it the “sin tax” and that’s (fine) if that’s what they want to call it,” said Republican Senator Stacey Campfield of Knoxville. Under the proposed legislation, a 25 percent tax would be imposed on certain transactions at adult bookstores, sexually explicit businesses, escort-type businesses, as well as, on adult movies and materials. State records show $267,960,000 is spent each year on adult entertainment in Tennessee. He said to enact the legislation would increase the state’s revenue by $55,849,400. “Well obviously I’m not for it. I mean I’ve got enough cost now trying to stay in business,” said Robert Carrigan, owner of Teazer’s Entertainment in Benton County, an adult cabaret. Carrigan said due to rising fuel cost he has seen a reduction in business. He said most of his customers are truckers who he said are spending less. “To charge another dollar or two for a video or something is not going to break the industry,” said Senator Campfield. Campfield said food is a necessity, pornographic material is not. The senator maintains the law is not an attempt to mandate morality. “I honestly can’t think of any other reason they would be doing it. Why pick this one. Why this. Why not boats, planes, trains. I mean why this business,” said Carrigan.
