The city of Bonn, Germany, has decided to start using an automated ticket meter for prostitutes to get permission to walk the streets, much like a parking meter, according to an article in the New York Times. Prostitution is legal in Germany, and so this is one way the city has come up with to tax streetworkers. If they are caught without their ticket, after a warning they can get a $150 fine. You can count on the Germans to make even prostitution efficient.
It's kind of a brilliant way to clean up a street-- charge a fee to be there, and then ticket people for not paying the fee. It will cause prostitutes to raise their fees, which in turn will lead to a decrease in demand and shrinking of the market. The market will probably move elsewhere too, if people are unwilling to pay the fines. It also decreases the likelihood (I think) of trafficked girls who have pimps in that area because the pimps will be unwilling to have it cut into their profits. If you can't address demand head on, raising the price can certainly make a dent. Not bad, Germany.
It's kind of a brilliant way to clean up a street-- charge a fee to be there, and then ticket people for not paying the fee. It will cause prostitutes to raise their fees, which in turn will lead to a decrease in demand and shrinking of the market. The market will probably move elsewhere too, if people are unwilling to pay the fines. It also decreases the likelihood (I think) of trafficked girls who have pimps in that area because the pimps will be unwilling to have it cut into their profits. If you can't address demand head on, raising the price can certainly make a dent. Not bad, Germany.
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