Strip Club Tax Falls Short of Projections

Funds from tax go to sex abuse prevention programs and other rape counseling services

A strip club tax has generated less than 40 percent of the money that was expected when the surcharge was approved, Illinois officials say.

The "pole tax," as it's known, raised about $380,000 in 2013,  the Herald and Review of Decatur reported Tuesday. That's far less than the $1 million predicted when the measure passed the General Assembly in 2012.

The money is earmarked for rape crisis centers.

Strip clubs can pay a $3 tax for every customer or an annual fee ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 based on sales.

Polly Poskin, the executive director of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, attributes the lower revenue to the fact that the requirement only applies to strip clubs that sell or allow alcohol. Chicago bans alcohol at its strip clubs.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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