I agree with you up to a point Westie.
The industry should certainly be legalised and regulated. However, I'm not sure if expecting escorts as "sole traders" to pay income tax or VAT or whatever would work. If we cant trust other sole traders and people such as publicans, farmers, restauranteurs, taxi drivers, never mind the professional classes to make full and frank tax declarations, what hope would the taxman have with escorts?
Apart from this, you have the question of English language competency and therefore the ability to understand an income tax form and also the fact that some escorts are probably not entitled to work at all or only work a certain number of hours per week depending on their visa/residency status.
The simplest method is to establish a registration system whereby escorts can apply to be registered as legal escorts and pay the state an annual fee in lieu of taxation. A registered escort would be entitled to operate anywhere within the state, but would be obliged to register at the local garda station, undergo monthly health screening and have the properties they operate from inspected to ensure they are suitable for the purpose of escorting (health, safety and environmental issues). Each Garda station should have one or more escort liaison officers that escorts can contact if they are getting any problems from the criminal elements.
Vice then would have the job of combating illegal (non-registered escorts) and trafficking, and there would actually be an incentive for registered escorts to assist the gardai to this end. Ruhama would continue in their current role of befriending, councelling and supporting those who want to quit the business.
Taking a figure of maybe 1000 escorts of all genders operating in ROI in any given year or part of a year and an annual registration fee of say 10,000 Euro, you get revenue of 10 million Euro. Given the potential income, the annual fee could even be higher, or a monthly rate could be used for touring escorts.
The annual revenue generated should be used to fund the escort registration system, the work of the garda vice squad section and to grant aide Ruhama. It's a bit like using the revenue from tobacco sales for the public health service or road tax for public roads.
However, I dont expect our current crop of testicularly challenged politicians to rise to the occasion. But wtf, once we have 500,000 unemployed, we will have such a level of public discontent and upheavel, that revolution cannot be far away.
Rest assured Brother Westie, once in power, I have the balls to make the law.
Brothers and Sisters, keep your peckers raised and the red flag flying.
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