Tampon Tax Is Still A Thing In Many States And It Has To Go

Unsplash/William Stitt

We could debate all day about taxes in some form or another, and we’d happily engage with you. But there’s one particular tax that just shouldn’t be debated. Yep, we’re talking about the tampon tax. Here’s the scoop on who it’s affecting and why the tax is actual garbage.

First, we just want to clarify that there is no official “special” tax on tampons and other female sanitary products used during menstruation. But across all 50 states, many health items, including Viagra, are excluded from sales tax because they are considered “necessity” items. Yet, in 32 states, tampons and pads are still taxed without any new legislation being addressed.

The tampon tax is a small part of a greater issue, most commonly known as the pink tax. Oh, not familiar? The term references a tax placed on products for women. While tampons are exclusively used by women, the pink tax even affects products meant for everyone, like this:

Hey @Target wondering why the women’s version of a product you sell costs $2.00 more than the identical non-women’s version. Your female pharmacist confirmed they’re identical. Gee, I didn’t realize your brand Up and Up was ironically named. #PinkTax #UpAndUp #Target pic.twitter.com/WThOaHrV33

— Wendy Miller (@WendyMillerShow) April 15, 2018

That means that when household items like Bic pens, laxatives and more sell separate “pink” versions (or just versions “for women”), those versions are often more expensive than the “man’s version.”

While the pink tax is a major issue, the tampon tax is an even more terrifying monster because tampons and sanitary pads are taxed as luxuries, not necessities. Remember when we previously mentioned how Viagra is considered a non-luxury item? Yeah, just let that sink in.

While we could offer a number of reasons why the tampon tax is just wrong, we’ll leave you with this one: According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a luxury is “something that is expensive and not necessary.” Including tampons and pads, which are used by women who menstruate involuntarily as part of the natural reproductive process, in a luxury tax isn’t just unethical and outdated — it’s contradictory. To tax an item that is essential to the health of more than 50 percent of the population in the United States (yes, women) and call it “luxury” is lazy and incoherent. And honestly, we’re sick of it.

In times like these, we seek inspiration in each other. Take actress and model Amber Rose, for example, who recently starred in a tampon commercial created by Period Equity, an organization that fights legal battles across the nation against the tampon tax.

Change is coming, but only if we continue to fight against the tax. Keep on it, everyone, and hopefully, we can all finally admit someday that periods aren’t a luxury at all.

Money Survey Shows That Women Face More Challenges Than Men From The Start