Amidst the political ferment in Florida heading towards the 2026 elections, Republican candidate James Fishback—a 31-year-old investor with no prior experience in public office—launched a proposal that quickly went viral: a 50% "OnlyFans Sin Tax" on the gross earnings of any creator residing in the state.
Fishback labels it a "sin tax", arguing it combats "online degeneracy" and exploitation. The revenue raised (which he estimates in the hundreds of millions) would supposedly be earmarked for state education, teacher salaries, school meals, and even a "mental health czar" for men. It sounds noble on paper... until one scrutinises the fiscal logic.
The Core Issue: A Self-Destructing Tax
If this levy functions as a genuine "sin tax" (akin to those on tobacco or alcohol), its ultimate goal is to disincentivise the activity. Herein lies the pure hypocrisy:
* If it works: Creators will abandon the platform or relocate to states like Texas or Nevada (which have no state income tax), causing tax revenue to collapse. Goodbye, school funding? Precisely.
* If it fails: Creators stay but are forced to hike their prices or produce more extreme content to offset the 50% loss. The State would then end up financially dependent on what it deems "sin" to fund what it deems "good".
Shared Responsibility: The State and Parental Vacuum
The proposal completely ignores the root of the problem: the hypersexualisation that the system itself encourages through omission.
* State Absence: The US education system has historically failed to provide comprehensive, evidence-based sex education. By avoiding topics such as consent, reproductive health, and emotional management, the State allows the internet and pornography to become the de facto educators.
* Parental Failure: In many instances, parents allow TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube algorithms to hypersexualise minors without supervision, only to later blame platforms like OnlyFans when those young people seek to monetise the very value society has already assigned them: their physical appearance.
OnlyFans is the Symptom, Not the Disease
The mainstream entertainment industry, advertising, and social media have promoted hypersexualisation for decades. Attacking adult creators—who already pay federal taxes close to 37%—is a distraction from the failure to regulate Big Tech corporations that engage in massive tax avoidance.
The response from Sophie Rain, a prominent Miami-based creator, captured the general sentiment. She branded the idea "the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard," suggesting Fishback’s proposal seemed more like a case of "buyer’s remorse" than serious policy.
Conclusion: "Culture War" Posturing
Proposals like this are pure political theatre. They seek approval from conservative bases by targeting a stigmatised group while evading real solutions. If the government and families invested in quality education and critical thinking, fewer people would turn to these platforms out of economic necessity. Instead, they opt for a selective tax that is likely unconstitutional and easily evaded.
It is a costly joke: the State wishes to profit from the "sin" it helped create through negligence. The solution is not a tax that consumes itself, but genuine education, Big Tech regulation, and an end to moral hypocrisy.