Government is missing out on millions of dollars in revenue from the sex trade industry which has grown here significantly in recent years, adult entertainment advocate Charles Charlie Spice Lewis has estimated.Outlining the benefits of decriminalising sex work and developing a regulatory framework for the trade, Lewis said that ten years ago, he presented a research paper to the government of the day which showed the trade was generating in excess of $100 million at the time.“I have got firsthand knowledge of a dramatic increase in the number of people entering sex work. The sex industry is here, it is vibrant, it is growing,” he said, contending that there has been an influx of sex workers since the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in the cost of living.However, Lewis argued that the Government was the only entity not generating revenue from the industry which he said has the potential to contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).Lewis, who is President of the Global Adult Industry Association, identified bars, guest houses, taxis, and other entities as among those cashing in.
