Rejoice! Judge Strikes Down Philly Lap Dance Tax

PHILLY.com - Ruling from the bench after a brief hearing, Common Pleas Judge Ellen Ceisler this morning rejected the city’s attempt to impose a tax on lap dances in strip clubs. Mayor Nutter’s administration was appealing a decision by the Tax Review Board, which said the city’s application of the amusement tax – 5 percent on admission charges – to lap dances at certain strip clubs was inappropriate. She sided with lawyers for the strip clubs, who argued that the clubs already pay the amusement tax on cover charges, that “interior activities” are not subject to the tax and that the city was applying the tax inconsistently. “It’s plain that the amusement tax is crafted in a way to apply to door charges, admissions fees, cover charges. It is not intended to cover interior entertainment issues,” said attorney George Bochetto, who represented Cheerleaders and Club Risque. “If the city wants to tax interior amusement activities, then they need to go to City Council.”

If you can’t tax our tea without igniting a revolution, I cringe at the thought of what would happen if some tyrannical force taxed lap dances. You don’t mess with people who would be hit the hardest from strip clubs raising their rates. These people need to get Coach Class puntang fix more than their need to breathe. I’m talking about the die-hards who waltz in with mesh shorts, stick around for dinner, then go back for rounds 2, 3 and 4. If you don’t give a fuck enough about people knowing you’re going to get off from dry humping a C-Section, then you definitely are going raise hell when the price to do so rises .40 cents per session. Best let them be. Establishments such as Cheerleaders and Show & Tell already take enough dignity and white blood cells away from each customer. Let the people have their lap dances.