Texas Hits Strip Clubs With 'Pole Tax'

Texas strip clubs are suing over a new law that will force them to collect a $5-per-person tax on clientele, the AP reports. Most of the estimated $40 million in proceeds will help rape victims, which club owners claim to support, but smaller venues fear a loss of customers. A Houston lawmaker who backed the bill disagrees: "I don't think another $5 is going to prevent someone from going," she said.

The state's clubs range from old dives to fancy venues, and are known for giving women a way to pay for college or other pursuits; Anna Nicole Smith made her start in one. But a 28-year-old dancer who stripped her way through school worries that the new law will hinder dancers' dreams. She said she earned $200 a day at one club, and "on good days, a hell of a lot more." (Read more Texas stories.)