[T]he Texas Supreme Court on Friday gave state officials the go-ahead to continue collecting a special $5-per-customer tax on strip clubs. The so-called “pole” tax, collected upon entrance to any club that features nude dancing and alcohol consumption, was ruled unconstitutional by a state district judge in Austin and the 3rd Court of Appeals. The law was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2007, and so far about $15 million has been collected. The money has not been disbursed because of the earlier court rulings. [HC via DMWT, Earlier]
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‘Sex Is Kind of Like Dancing, Right?’
- Caleb Newquist
- September 11, 2009
ACORN, yes, Bill O’Reilly’s favorite non-profit, is giving tax advice. Apparently, prostitution qualifies as a performing art. Who are we to argue?
Yes, it’s almost ten minutes but it’s worth it.
Check out Part II over at TaxProf Blog.
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Official: You Can Blame the South for the Income Tax
- Caleb Newquist
- April 12, 2011
As you may have heard, 150 years ago today Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter which began the Civil War. This war turned out to be a pretty big deal as the Union victory effectively ended slavery. But what you may not be aware of is that it also led to the first income tax in our fair land.
From our friend and tax maven-cum-historian Joe Kristan (who somehow has time to post with less than a week to go in tax season):
The consequences of the war, surely unintended by the operators of this gun, included the end of slavery, a horrific death toll, and the first Federal income tax. While the tax was repealed after the war, the idea stayed alive; the federal income tax came back in 1913, and is still with us. So while you struggle with your 1040, save a word of “thanks” for General P.G.T. Beauregard and the rest of the Confederates who attacked Ft. Sumter.
Funny thing – lots of people in the South manage to have no tax liability so aside from LOSING THE WAR the whole thing is probably NBD.
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Ohio Gives Citizens a $20 Tax Credit Just for Being Ohioans
- Caleb Newquist
- June 13, 2011
Maybe this is all the incentive some people need to move to the Buckeye State?
David Brunori that reports that this costs the state $165 million a year. Oh, and if you’re old (i.e. over 65) you get an additional $50. This from a state who has people that use bulldozers when cornered and DO NOT TOLERATE mistakes made by H&R Block employees. [via Tax.com]