You'd be hard-pressed to find people who don't have strong opinions on either side of the prostitution debate. Here in the states, in most places, the “oldest profession” is still illegal almost everywhere. But in some countries, like Germany, sex work is legal. And some German cities are so okay with it they've begun collecting taxes.
The city paid $11,575, including installation, to have a collection meter put in place. Sex workers have to pay about $8.65 for a ticket to “perform” in designated areas that are patrolled by government-paid security guards. And if they're caught working without one, they can be fined up to $145.
Says Monika Frömbgen, a spokeswoman for the city of Bonn, Germany, “The women in the bordellos and the sauna clubs also pay the tax, and so should those working on the streets.”
Opinion on the street (only 20 or so prostitutes in Bonn out of 200 work the streets) is divided. A middle-aged woman named Vero called the tax “proper” while another woman named Monica said the tax “stinks.”
“The other night I worked all night but didn’t get any work, but I still had to pay it," said Monica.
That kinda does stink.
Sex worker advocates are calling the tax unfair because prostitutes already pay income taxes. But Franz-Reinhard Habbel, a spokesman for the German Association of Cities and Municipalities, says he expects other cities to add the extra tax as well.
The city paid $11,575, including installation, to have a collection meter put in place. Sex workers have to pay about $8.65 for a ticket to “perform” in designated areas that are patrolled by government-paid security guards. And if they're caught working without one, they can be fined up to $145.
Says Monika Frömbgen, a spokeswoman for the city of Bonn, Germany, “The women in the bordellos and the sauna clubs also pay the tax, and so should those working on the streets.”
Opinion on the street (only 20 or so prostitutes in Bonn out of 200 work the streets) is divided. A middle-aged woman named Vero called the tax “proper” while another woman named Monica said the tax “stinks.”
“The other night I worked all night but didn’t get any work, but I still had to pay it," said Monica.
That kinda does stink.
Sex worker advocates are calling the tax unfair because prostitutes already pay income taxes. But Franz-Reinhard Habbel, a spokesman for the German Association of Cities and Municipalities, says he expects other cities to add the extra tax as well.
Is that "Taxation without Penetration"?