Are pads and tampons still taxed?
Asked by: Kadin Christiansen | Last update: January 28, 2024Score: 4.9/5 (1 votes)
Half the population must purchase tampons or pads for decades, yet these products are still taxed as non-essential items in many states. Often referred to as the "tampon tax," consumers are charged a sales tax on feminine hygiene products in 22 states, according to the advocacy group Alliance for Period Supplies.
Is there still a tampon tax in the US?
State Sales Tax
Currently, 21 states charge sales tax on period products (as of June 20, 2023). The sales taxes range from 4% to 7% in Indiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. 5 U.S. states (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon) do not have a statewide sales tax.
Are menstrual products being taxed?
Menstrual hygiene products are considered by many states within the United States as "tangible individual property" resulting in additional sales tax. This additional tax increases the overall price and further limits accessibility to menstrual hygiene products to lower-income women.
Why is there no tax on tampons?
The sales and use tax exempts items that are deemed the “necessities of life” such as food or medicine.
Is CVS not charging tax on period products?
In October, the chain announced that it was reducing the price of CVS-brand period products by 25 percent in stores across the country as well as covering the sales tax on those products in 12 states. The affected items include CVS-brand pads, tampons, liners, and menstrual cups.
'Tampon tax': How much do women pay for periods? - BBC News
Is pink tax and tampon tax the same?
One controversial part of the pink tax is known as the tampon tax. This is a regular sales tax that's applied to an item in a category generally considered “non-luxury necessities,” which are typically exempt from sales tax.
Does CVS counter Texas tampon tax with 25% off of menstrual products?
CVS Health will reduce the cost of its branded menstrual products by 25% in Texas to offset a state “tampon tax.” The price reduction will occur in 12 states where the company said it can legally pay on behalf of the consumer.
What states do not tax menstrual products?
California. Effective January 2020, California residents will not have to pay taxes on menstrual products until January 2022. However, after the two years, it will need to reconsidered by the governor when determining the state's budget. Currently, there is no permanent law in effect.
Does CVS not tax tampons?
Core CVS Pharmacy locations will pay the so-called “pink tax” on CVS Health brand period products for its customers. The policy is part of the company's effort to help eliminate the pink tax and the tampon tax nationwide and help combat period poverty.
Is the tampon tax illegal?
Even assuming arguendo that the tampon tax is not viewed as a tax on female sex, it is still unconstitutional because it cannot pass rational basis review. Since 2016, four states and the District of Columbia have legislatively repealed their sales tax on menstrual hygiene products.
How many states still have the tampon tax?
Half the population must purchase tampons or pads for decades, yet these products are still taxed as non-essential items in many states. Often referred to as the "tampon tax," consumers are charged a sales tax on feminine hygiene products in 22 states, according to the advocacy group Alliance for Period Supplies.
Are tampons taxed as a luxury item?
In 32 states, women's hygiene products (like tampons, menstrual cups, and sanitary pads) are subject to a luxury tax, which is placed on products or services that are deemed to be non-essential or unneeded.
What women's products are taxed?
The pink tax often refers to state sales tax on menstrual products, like tampons, and feminine pads. Those feminine hygiene products are necessities for many women.
What states are tampons free?
Illinois mandates free menstrual products for students in grades 4-12. Since 2021, at least eight additional states, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Vermont have introduced legislation related to free menstrual products in schools.
What states have banned the pink tax?
Only two states — New York and California — have made it illegal to have gender-based pricing, also known as the “pink tax,” which is the practice of charging different (often higher) prices for goods or services marketed to women than for men.
Why does the pink tax exist?
The pink tax refers to the tendency for products marketed specifically toward women to be more expensive than those marketed toward men. This phenomenon is often attributed to gender-based price discrimination, however research shows that the primary cause is women sorting into goods with higher marginal costs.
Why are pads and tampons taxed?
In the states that have sales tax, only five don't tax women for having periods. In the rest of the states with sales tax, tampons and pads are considered “luxury items” by the government and are therefore able to be taxed as such.
What is the pink tax in 2023?
As of January 1, 2023, California businesses are prohibited from charging a different price for any two goods that are substantially similar, “if those goods are priced differently based on the gender of the individuals for whom the goods are marketed and intended.”
What is the pink tax getting rid of?
AB-1287 Gender-base price discrimination
AB-1287 (2021-22) This bill will eliminate what the author calls the “Pink Tax” and ensure women achieve equality by prohibiting businesses from assigning different prices for identical products based on who they are marketed to.
Which states have a diaper tax?
Washington, Arizona, South Carolina, Kansas, Tennessee and Alabama allow local taxes on diapers to go as high as 9% to 10%.
What is the pink tax in the US?
The pink tax isn't an actual government tax; it refers to discriminatory pricing that inflates the cost of goods marketed to women. It can also apply to the practice of inflating costs for women seeking services.
Why the tampon tax is good?
With the funds from the “tampon tax,” the government should create social programs that can benefit low-income people and utilize this money to promote reproductive health by providing free routine gynecological examinations and free or low-cost insurance to support gynecological health.
Are period products free anywhere?
Scotland is the first country to offer period products free of charge on a national scale. Others, including New Zealand and Kenya, distribute products for free in public schools. In the U.S., a package of tampons or menstrual pads costs around $7 to $10 for a supply that may last a month or two.
What is the highest tampon tax?
A recent research article found that three Scandinavian countries — Sweden, Denmark, and Norway — have some of the highest “tampon tax” percentages in the world at 25%. Hungary tops the ranking at #1 with the highest tax being 27%.
Why is period poverty an issue?
Poor hygiene measures during menstruation can pose serious health risks, such as reproductive and urinary tract infections, thrush, and others. Menstruators require access to sanitary facilities, clean water, and affordable, safe menstrual products in order to have a healthy and secure period.