Joe Formaggio, the ultra-conservative Mayor in Albettone, a town in the province of Vicenza, recently made national headlines with his newest proposal: a tax on homosexuals.

His reasoning is simple: “Gay people don’t have sons, so they have to compensate for the future lower tax income.” He added that the new tax should help “normal families” like his. He has three children. Some historians were reminded of a similar law, the celibacy tax, which was in effect during the Fascist era between 1927 and 1943 to encourage more births.

As strange as it may seem, his proposals have actually received some local support. Read More via Lettera43