TribBlog: TX Supreme Court To Consider "Pole Tax"
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The Texas Supreme Court has agreed to consider the constitutionality of a $5 tax on admission to the state's strip clubs — a measure lawmakers implemented in 2007 to raise money for sexual assault prevention and low-income health insurance.
The fee has been tied up in court ever since the Texas Legislature passed it: The strip club industry says the fee is a tax on free speech, while state attorneys have argued it's perfectly valid. A district court ruled in the clubs' favor, but state attorneys have appealed it all the way up the chain.
The fee has been collected here and there since 2007, but none of the money has been spent, pending the outcome of the case. During the 2009 legislative session, efforts to either repeal or alter the fee failed.
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Mar. 25 at St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio.
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