preview

The Importance Of The Women Tax

Good Essays

The Women Tax: Feminine Hygiene Products Should Not Be Subject To State Tax It is custom in most state governments for products that are deemed necessities to not be taxed, such as food and wellness products. However, many state governments classify feminine hygiene products as luxury items. This means not only are these products being unjustly categorized as “luxury,” but also their prices are being raised due to taxation, which worsens the economic burden for women who require them. This tax has been a topic of debate over the years and has been nicknamed “the tampon tax” or even “the women tax.” Overall, state legislators should not tax feminine hygiene products as luxuries, as they are necessities to women’s health, happiness …show more content…

The Government Affairs Committee for Advocacy and Public Health has even reportedly supported legislative movements for the exemption of the tampon tax because of the health necessity tied to their use (Bohon 3). Overall, women must have access to feminine hygiene products for health purposes, yet having a tax on these items creates barriers for women who cannot afford them. Furthermore, feminine hygiene products are already expensive for many women. According to Arin Greenwood, correspondent for the American Bar Association (ABA) Journal, it is estimated that women spend 3,000 dollars on period products over the course of the menstruating years of their lives (4). While to some that may seem like a small price to pay, for others it comes down to choosing between their period needs and their next meal. There have been reports of women selling food stamps to pay for period products (Paqutte 5). According to Weis-Wolf, a human rights lawyer, this issue can even interfere with education: “If we, in our first-world country, have girls who are missing school because their parents can’t afford menstrual products for them — that’s a problem...” (qtd. in Paqutte 6). It is also argued that the “tampon tax” is discriminatory towards the female population. Connecticut Representative, Juan Candelaria, made a statement about the issue while supporting a bill to eliminate “tampon tax”: "How is it that these essential items, purchased by

Get Access