Free Republic

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German city of Cologne is resorting to a "sex tax" on brothels to boost its revenues after national reforms left local authorities short of cash. City authorities confirmed on Friday they were extending the existing "pleasure tax" -- already levied on casinos and amusement arcades -- to brothels, erotic massage parlours and table-dancing clubs. Cologne expects to triple its pleasure tax revenues, Inge Schuermann, a city spokeswoman told Reuters. "This is about making taxes fair but also because we are more than up to our necks in financial problems," she said, shortly after Germany's parliament approved...

A ban on allowing school classrooms to be used as brothels and strip bars has been ordered by education officials in Ukraine. Headteachers in the country have often leased out excess space to firms to raise extra income for the school coffers. No checks are made on how the headteachers choose to lease the space and in the past, bars and clubs have been opened on school property. The latest discovery that brothels are plying their trade next to the school playground has prompted the education ministry to act and an investigation has started into what ways schools' excess space...

Brothel to Put Lawmaker to Work for a Day Tue Aug 27, 8:29 AM ET SYDNEY (Reuters) - A conservative Australian national politician may have to spend a day cleaning a brothel in the Western Australian gold fields after its madam won him for a day. Workers at the famous Langtree's brothel in the mining town of Kalgoorlie said Tuesday that madam Mary-Anne Kenworthy outbid all others in a Rotary Club raffle for a day's worth of work from Liberal party member of parliament Barry Haase. "She bid A$1,000 ($540)," said a receptionist. "(She'll get him) cleaning and doing tours,...