70's: 脱衣舞俱乐部：得克萨斯州杆子税

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脱衣舞俱乐部：得克萨斯州杆子税

via 《The Economist》《经济学人》中文版 by ecocn on 1/6/08

[2008.01.03] Strip clubs-The Texas pole tax 脱衣舞俱乐部-得克萨斯州杆子税

Strip clubs
脱衣舞俱乐部

The Texas pole tax
得克萨斯州杆子税

Jan 3rd 2008 | AUSTIN
From The Economist print edition

A good cause, but a bad policy
好理由，坏政策

THERE is a new price to be paid for looking at naked women in Texas. On January 1st the state's strip clubs began imposing a $5 surcharge for each visitor. The "pole tax," as it is commonly called, is expected to bring the state an additional $40m in revenue each year. Most of the proceeds will go to programmes that support victims of sexual assault.
在得克萨斯看裸体女人你得新付一笔钱了。从1月1号开始该州脱衣舞俱乐部开始向每位光临者收取5美元的额外费用。 "杆子税"（译注：pole tax这个词未找到词典解释，另有一个poll tax，指的是人头税。网上搜索了一下，有个网页说pole tax是poll tax转过来的，不知道正确不。Pole有"柱子"、"杆子"的意思，表演脱衣舞通常需要在舞台上立一根圆杆子让表演者攀爬，因此我推测是不是可以译成这个"杆子"税。但以上都是推测，希望知道的指点一下），这是它通常的叫法，预期每年为该州带来4千万美元的额外收入。该收入的绝大部分将用于支持性侵犯受害人计划。

Helping rape victims is obviously an excellent idea, and the measure was passed by the Texas legislature easily last year. But it is controversial in some quarters. Club owners, in particular, think they are being shaken down and vilified despite providing a perfectly legal service, and are already sounding a little defensive. Commercials for The Lodge, in Dallas, boast that its customers enjoy "women, manly steaks, cigars, and women." In light of the new tax a co-owner has noted, rather less laddishly, that the club also raises money for charity via car washes. Smaller clubs are worried that their patrons cannot or will not pony up five measly dollars, a prediction that may prove true but is certainly rather depressing.
帮助强奸案受害人显然是个很好的计划，这个措施去年早些时候就通过了得克萨斯州的立法。但是在一些人中引起了争议。尤其是俱乐部老板，认为他们尽管提供的是完全合法的服务却被敲诈和诋毁，而且他们听起来有点自卫的味道了。达拉斯的"小屋"俱乐部的广告吹嘘说它的顾客们享受着"女人、适合男人的牛排、雪茄和女人"。看到这种新税，一位合伙人平静地提到（译注：rather less laddishly指更少男孩子气的，更少稚气的，到底怎么译，高手指点）他的俱乐部也通过洗车来为慈善事业筹钱。更小的俱乐部担心他们的顾客不能或者不愿意付清这区区5美元的小钱，这个预测可能被证明是正确的但当然相当令人沮丧。

Another gripe is that the tax implies an unfair link between club patronage and sexual violence, though no evidence to support this has been presented. State representative Ellen Cohen, who sponsored the legislation, argued that connecting the two is fair because both strip clubs and sex crimes objectify women. And apparently a majority of Texas legislators were comfortable with that explanation. In 2004, in contrast, Governor Rick Perry proposed taxing strip clubs to pay for public schools. The idea was considered inappropriate and it went nowhere.
另一个抱怨是该税不公正地暗示了在光临俱乐部和性暴力之间有着联系，尽管没有能够支持这一论点的证据被提出来。州议员Ellen Cohen，是他发起了这部法律，辩论说两者之间的联系是公正的，因为脱衣舞俱乐部和性犯罪都把妇女物化了。而且很显然，得克萨斯州的立法者们感到能坦然接受一解释。相反，2004年州长Rick Perry提议对脱衣舞俱乐部征税来为公立中学支付费用时这个想法被认为是不适当的而不了了之。

Such targeted taxes seem to be in vogue at the moment. Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, recently proposed that retailers pay a fee for selling sugar-laden fizzy drinks. The revenue would fund a city initiative to encourage healthy eating and exercise. Last year's proposed expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Programme would have been funded by increased tobacco taxes (though the connection here also seems rather a stretch, since not that many children smoke; George Bush vetoed it anyway). In Wisconsin, a state legislator wants to raise more money for the juvenile criminal justice system via a tax on video games.
当前这种有针对性的征税似乎在成为时尚。Gavin Newsom，旧金山市市长，最近提议让销售高糖起泡饮料的零售商支付一笔费用。这笔收入将为一个鼓励健康饮食和锻炼的城市计划提供启动资金。去年提议的扩大州儿童健康保险计划本应由增加的烟草税（尽管这儿两者之间的联系也有点牵强，因为没有很多儿童吸烟；不管怎样乔治.布什投了赞成票）来提供资金。在威斯康星，一个州立法委员想通过对视频游戏征税来为未成年罪犯司法系统筹集资金。

Critics say that all of these measures are punitive. Louche behaviour, after all, is not a crime. But its practitioners have had a hard time making their case. Last month opponents of the pole tax filed for a temporary injunction against it. They argued that nude dancing is a type of expression and that its free exercise should therefore not be inhibited. The judge was unimpressed.
批评者说所有这些措施都是惩罚性的。品行不端，毕竟不是一种罪行。但它们的开业者很难为自己辩护。上个月杆子税的反对者们提起诉讼申请临时强制令来反对它。他们争论说裸体跳舞只是一种表达，因此这种自由体操不应被限制。法官不为所动。

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