A tampon tax is a popular term used to call attention to the fact that tampons--and other feminine hygiene products used to manage menstrual flow--are subject to value-added tax, at odds with the tax exemption status granted to other products considered basic necessities. Proponents of tax exemption argue that tampons, sanitary napkins, menstrual cups and comparable products constitute basic, unavoidable necessities for women and thus should be made tax exempt.
Proponents argue that feminine hygiene products serving the basic menstrual cycle should be classified alongside other unavoidable, tax exempt necessities, such as groceries and personal medical items. The BBC estimates that women--half of the global population--need to use feminine hygiene products for about a week each month for about 30 years. While sales tax policy varies across jurisdictions, these products were typically taxed at the same rate as non-essential goods, such as in the United States, while other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Ireland, reduced or eliminated their general consumption tax on sanitary products. When asked about equivalent exemptions for men, proponents argue that no male products, condoms included, are comparable to feminine hygiene products, since menstruation is biological and "feminine hygiene is not a choice". As the vast majority of consumers of feminine hygiene products are women, the increased cost has been criticized as being discriminatory against women. The tampon tax is not a special tax levied directly on feminine hygiene products.
After the tax in Canada was removed mid-2015, women began protesting in other countries later that year. On July 21st, 2018, India eliminated the Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 12% from sanitary napkins.
Video Tampon tax
Tax law by jurisdiction
- Kenya was the first to abolish sales tax for menstrual products, becoming the first country in the world to do so.
- In Australia, sanitary products are taxed at 10% under a goods and services tax. The country's treasurer, Joe Hockey, asked for an exemption to be considered in a tax review. Australian states voted to keep the tax on sanitary products in August 2015.
- Canada removed its tampon tax in mid-2015 following an online petition signed by thousands.
- India eliminated a controversial 12% tax on feminine hygiene products in 2018 after a year of lobbying.
- Ireland levies no value-added tax on tampons, panty liners, and sanitary towels. While other European Union countries are barred from creating zero-rated value added, Ireland's exemptions are grandfathered.
- Slovakia levies a 20% tax on sanitary products--the basic goods rate. A Slovakian film director commented that there are no plans to change the law and that east Europe missed elements of feminist change while living under communist government.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has levied a value-added tax on sanitary products since it joined the European Economic Community in 1973. This rate was reduced to 5% specifically for sanitary products in 2000 with lobbying from Member of Parliament Dawn Primarolo saying that this reduction was "about fairness, and doing what we can to lower the cost of a necessity." This is the lowest rate possible under the European Union's value added tax law, which as of 2015 does not allow zero rates. The UK Independence Party raised the issue in the 2015 general election with promises to withdraw from the European Union and allow the zero rate. Prime Minister David Cameron commented, when prompted, that the tampon tax campaign was "long-standing" and a complicated issue within the European Union. In England, one in ten women between 14 and 21 cannot afford menstrual management products.
Laura Coryton led a "Stop taxing periods, period" campaign with an online petition to have the European Union remove the value-added tax for sanitary products. George Osborne mentioned the petition by name in his 2015 Autumn Statement pledge to end the tampon tax at the European Union level. The petition platform's CEO cited the campaign as an example of successful clicktivism, with over 320,000 signatures. In March 2016, Parliament created legislation to eliminate the tampon VAT. It is expected to go into effect by April 2018, several British women protested publicly while displaying blood stains from their periods.
Scotland
In July 2017, a pilot program began in Scotland to have free sanitary products available at schools and food banks for women who cannot afford them. Further to this half year pilot program, Scotland's opposition Labour Party intends to introduce a bill to make this permanent. Scotland is the first country to ban period poverty.
A study by the WHO and UNICEF showed that one out of five women in Scotland have been forced to improvise with items including toilet paper and old clothes due to the high cost of commercial products.
United States
In the United States, almost all states tax "tangible individual property" but exempt non-luxury "necessities": groceries, prescriptions, prosthetics, agriculture supplies, and sometimes clothes--the exemptions vary between states. Five states do not have a state sales tax (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon), and as of November 2017, nine states specifically exempted feminine hygiene products (Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania).
California Assembly member Cristina Garcia reported that California women each pay roughly US$7 per month over 40 years, constituting US$20 million in annual taxes. Garcia and Ling Ling Chang proposed a bill to remove the tampon tax in early 2016. At this period, only a handful of the country's states exempted tampons, and several others had no state sales tax. Garcia held that women were taxed "for being women" and bore an economic burden for having no other choice but to buy these products. Garcia and Chang added that the tax was "regulatory discrimination" that disproportionately affected poor women and women of color, and that it likely persisted due to social taboos against discussing menstruation. Both houses of the California State Legislature voted to exempt tampons from taxation in June 2016, but the bill was vetoed by the state's governor, Jerry Brown, three months later.
In July 2016, New York State exempted feminine hygiene products from taxation, reducing the state's tax revenue by an estimated US$10 million annually. Connecticut and Illinois also removed their tax in 2016, with Florida following suit in 2017.
In the United States, nine states have eliminated the tampon tax, and seven states have introduced legislation. In January 2018, California rejected a proposal to eliminate tampon tax.
Maps Tampon tax
See also
- Culture and menstruation
- Gender-based price discrimination in the United States
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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