Women in California now spend more than $20m in taxes on these kinds of products, according to figures provided by the legislators – tallying up to about $7 each month during the approximately 30 to 40 years a woman menstruates.
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The women jointly brought the bipartisan measure into effect this week as a step towards gender equality, which they believe ending the “tampon tax” will aid greatly. A California bill to remove sales taxes for diapers stalled previous year.
There is no tax on health products like walkers, medical ID tags, or prescription medication.
Garcia serves as vice chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, and she argued the bill ties into the group’s goal of closing the wage gap separating men and women.
Garcia said that the cost of menstrual products can be highly burdensome to low-income women.
Governor Brown will have to make a decision by September 30. “This is a step in the right direction to fix this gender injustice”, Garcia said in a press release. “You can’t just ignore your period”.
The American Association of University Women found that women make 79 cents on the dollar when compared to men.
California collects over $20 million annually in sales tax from feminine products, according to the Board of Equalization.
“This is not insignificant to women, especially poor women on a tight budget who struggle to pay for basic necessities like a box of tampons or pads every month for their adult life”, Garcia said.
The measure isn’t unprecedented in the U.S. – New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota have all made sure sanitary products aren’t taxed.
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Advocates of tax-free tampons have begun using hashtags on social media to rally support for the cause Those hashtags include #NoTaxOnTampons #TamponsForAll#TamponTax and #NotALuxuryItem.
