A Utah legislator has come up with a novel way of fixing the state's fiscal crisis which led to the state's porn czar being laid off - tax pornography. rnrn
''I've gotten a lot of positive feedback and I think it will pass both sides of the aisle,'' said Rep. Duane Bourdeaux, (D-Salt Lake City).rnrn
Bourdeaux wants to apply a tax to phone-sex lines, web sites, magazines, adult videos, strip clubs, and escort services. Now he just needs to figure out how to do it. rnrn
Bourdeaux said Thursday he plans to file an abbreviated bill at the Utah Legislature even before he can work out the details. rnrn
Aware that sales on the internet are not yet taxed, Bourdeaux acknowledged that all 50 states would have to forge an agreement to effectively tax Internet commerce sites, but said Gov. Mike Leavitt was already working to make that happen. rnrn
Of course, Bourdeaux will have to craft his bill in a manner that will pass constitutional muster.rnrn
''To tax unfavorable viewpoints, that is not a good idea. I would hope the Legislature is not that dumb,'' sex-industry lobbyist Andrew McCullough told the Deseret News.rnrn
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