Oppose AB 1082 and AB 1081.

This letter was co-signed by the Harvey Milk GBLT Democratic Club to oppose AB 1081 and AB 1082. March 3, 2009 Dear State Senator Mark Leno and State Assembly Members Tom Ammiano, Please stand with us and oppose AB 1082 and AB 1081. AB 1082 and AB 1081 proposes taxing adult material by levy a tax on “the gross receipts of any retailer from the

sale of all tangible personal property that is harmful matter sold at retail in this state.” That would include “any book, magazine, newspaper, video recording, or other printed or written material or any picture, drawing, photograph, motion picture, or other pictorial representation or any statue or other figure, or any recording, transcription, or mechanical, chemical, or electrical reproduction or any other articles, equipment, machines, or materials,” including “live or recorded telephone messages” – that could legally be sold to an adult but not to a minor. This legislator wants use this tax to fund electronic surveillance for those convicted of domestic violence and stalking even though there’s never been a validated scientific study indicating that looking at porn causes or in any way contributes to domestic violence. This proposal is meant to curry favor with the state’s religious conservatives, who last banded together to stop marriage equality in California. WE oppose this bad bill on the basis that 1) “Harmful matter ” is one of

those unconstitutionally vague terms used by irresponsible legislators. 2) Any such tax would be struck down by a court of

law since it would be a tax based on the content of the material being taxed, and the U.S. Supreme Court

has deemed such taxes to be unconstitutional. 3) No scientific study has indicated that porn neither causes nor contributes in anyway to domestic violence. Sincerely, Maxine Doogan Erotic Service Providers Union