State Rep. Stacey Campfield said he isn't a fan of adult entertainment.

But he said he has noticed is how much money it brings in.

He said he wants to tax pornography, so the state can take the sales tax off of food.

Adult entertainment is a multibillion-dollar business, and there are plenty of locations to find it in middle Tennessee.

“This isn’t a tax increase, it’s a tax swap,” Campfield said.

He said he wants to tax pornography, escort services and other adult material.

He said the tax from adult entertainment would replace the one on food.

“Some people said that you can see the damage that it does to a community and said, ‘If you can tax it 8 million percent, go ahead and do it. Anything to get rid of that industry,’” Campfield said.

“A sin tax. I think it would be good. If you are going to pursue those outlets, you ought to pay a little extra for it,” said Nashville resident Andy Fisher. “Same thing with cigarettes and alcohol.”

Nashville resident Jenny Tackett said she would like to save money on groceries but had reservations about singling out an industry .

“To put it all on one group that chooses to do something more is just a little unfair,” she said.

Campfield said the tax isn’t a legislation of morality but a source of lucrative revenue.

A spokesman for the Tennessee Cabaret Association Tracy O’Neil, who represents exotic dancing clubs, said they see the bill as selective and potentially discriminatory and unconstitutional because much of adult entertainment is protected by the freedom of speech.

A similar bill passed in Utah is being challenged in court.

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