Tampabay.com
MARCH 13, 2009

Porn tax in hard times?

So, with next year's likely budget deficit, the state's hard-up for cash.
Where do lawmakers find the extra money? Maybe from the hard up?

Sen. Carey Baker of Eustis said he's heard some people (wouldn't say who)
want to slap an additional sales tax on pornography. There also could be a
strip-club tax in the offing, as well as raising taxes on cigarettes or
booze.

"If I'm going to raise taxes, someone threw out taxing porn. I could do that.
Taxing gambling, I’d support that if I had to," Baker, a Republican said. "I'm
just opposed to any broad-based tax. If a tax is large enough to make a
difference in the budget deficit, it's probably large enough to hamper our
economic recovery."

--  MARC CAPUTO

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