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A new bill, introduced in the California State Assembly by Democrat Cristina Garcia and co-authored by Republican Ling Ling Chang, would make tampons sales tax-free in the state. The measure isn’t unprecedented in the U.S. though. New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota have all made sure sanitary products aren’t taxed.
“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 wrote in a Facebook post yesterday.
Most women in the U.S. use tampons and the cost definitely adds up over the course of a monthly three to seven-day period. While the proposed bill wouldn’t completely eliminate the inflated cost of being a woman, it would certainly help to alleviate the financial burden women bear.
While saving money on necessary hygiene products sounds great, Garcia highlights the fact that taxes are a hardship for women living in poverty in particular. Passing this bill could save women in Cali serious cash. But what about women across the country and overseas who still pay sales taxes on sanity products? Shouldn’t tampons be tax free across the globe?
As Garcia put it, “If we can’t make them free, we should at least make them more affordable.”
Fervent applause.
January 9, 2016 -
Yes, but you know the US doesn’t care about necessities people need if theres money to be made.
January 9, 2016 -
I do think tampons, and other feminine necessities, should be tax free as well. Tampons are terrible either way but they shouldn’t as expensive as they are.
January 10, 2016 -
Agreed! It should be tax free or very affordable especially considering that plenty of tampons and other feminine necessities have questionable ingredients/inferior material. If they can’t make it tax free or affordable then they need to make high quality grade A products that are environment friendly and safe.
January 10, 2016 -
Exactly, all feminine necessities should be tax free. Not just tampons.
January 9, 2016 -
They are, here. That was our Canada Day 2015 present! Before that, they were termed as ‘non-essential or luxury items’. I ask, if someone were kicking you men in the junk, non-stop for almost a week every single month, would you say that a cup is non-essential or a luxury? Add in someone jumping on your head and kicking you in the back and gut… also, you’re bleeding from your gums. A cup sounds like the least you could do, doesn’t it? You just have to get a bunch of them because they wear out. It’s like how a ballerina’s slippers are no good after each performance, except… squishier. You poltroons in government couldn’t handle it.
January 10, 2016 -
Yes.
January 10, 2016 -
For a women who are poor these things are essential. They also need to be made safe from the danger of toxic shock syndrome.
January 11, 2016 -
If the government doesn’t care about reproductive rights and health of women why would it care about feminine hygiene products being accessible to them.?
January 11, 2016 -
Just another slick stunt to buy votes, it’s comical but it just might work.
January 11, 2016 -
What’s slick about it?
January 11, 2016 -
if you don’t know, it’s no sense in me trying to enlighten you!
January 11, 2016 -
Yeah, affordable women’s health care legislation is just a plot cooked up by sexless WNBA robots in a ploy to destroy the black family. How could I have missed that?
January 11, 2016 -
The joy of womanhood.
Canada and France have both passed a similar bill. It’s only right.
January 12, 2016 -
they should be free
January 15, 2016 -
In the UK we had this same debate. There are things that are tax-free which really should not be as they are not necessities . Me bleeding every month is not a luxury I can tell you that. this is what happens when you leave men have full control over rights for women’s bodies. Tampons are dangerous and the thought of using them scares me. In the UK they have to give the money they tax to women’s charities. Either way I still think that is dodgy the UK government is very shady especially with that Pig fucker (David Cameron) and his henchman (George Osborne) in charge.