The City Where Sex Workers Feed a Meter

September 10, 2011 in Daily Bulletin

Prostitution is legalized in Germany, but the taxes that officials are meant to be able to collect from the industry are often evaded. One city in Germany decided to try out a new system.

  • To roam the streets, prostitutes must pay 6 euros a night. Similar to a car park system, the prostitutes pay the money to a machine which produces a ticket, and the prostitute must keep this ticket with them while they’re out.
  • The machine costs $11,575 and is built by Siemens.
  • The city government spends over $100,000 to pay for security in the area, in an effort to protect the sex workers.

Click here to read more about the consequences for being caught without a ticket, and what prostitutes think about the new system.

Source: The New York Times