Sex is safe – from higher taxes.
X-rated entertainment won't be tapped to help solve California's massive budget woes.
Legislation died in an Assembly committee this week that would have slapped higher taxes on businesses that sell or produce sexually explicit shows, films, books, magazines or Internet programming.
Assemblyman Charles Calderon, D-Whittier, had proposed to target X-rated entertainment in much the same way that the state does cigarettes: Impose higher taxes to curb the harm it creates.
Calderon's Assembly Bill 2914 stated that adult entertainment causes numerous health, safety and societal problems, including reducing property values in affected neighborhoods and encouraging unsafe sex and aggressive attitudes toward women.
Opponents argued that their sex life is none of the Legislature's business and that singling out adult materials would violate free-speech rights and be difficult to enforce or define.
Calderon contended his bill would survive court challenges because it targets the financial impacts of adult entertainment without casting judgment on the content.
AB 2914, in its findings and declarations, said that the taxes under the measure "are not intended as a prohibition of legally protected forms of expression."
AB 2914 was expected to raise about $260 million annually to be placed into a special fund to reduce negative impacts.
The additional sin-tax revenue conceivably could have replaced some existing state funds used for various health and public safety programs, according to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Call Jim Sanders, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5538.
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.