From an interview last night with Rep. Mark Miloscia, who's proposed tacking on an extra 18.5 percent sales tax onto adult videos, cable shows, etc.

"Somebody brought this to me and I said `Wow. Well, why not?'" said Miloscia, D-Federal Way.

His bill is actually a nearly-verbatim copy of a 2004 proposal from Sen. Val Stevens: SB 6741. That bill never even got a hearing.

Unlike a lot of business taxes, Miloscia said he's not worried about hurting the business climate for porn.

"My constituent, while they care about Microsoft or Boeing, I don't think the adult entertainment industry is an industry that my constituents would worry about going out of state," he said. He also said that in a decade in the statehouse, this is the first tax bill he's ever prime-sponsored.

He gives his own bill "low odds" of passing.

"Tax increases tend to be the issue that people do not support," he said. To improve its odds, he's willing to have a statewide vote on the proposal. He said he's confident that voters would approve.

But even if it passed, one big loophole would remain: Internet pornography.

"The Internet is really tough to tax," said Miloscia. "The Internet is wild west."

He spent much of Tuesday fielding calls from reporters about the proposal.

"I didn't think it was going to get as much attention as it has," he said.

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