A woman will spend, on average, about $61.11 per year on tampons, an annual sum that adds up considering the 40 or so years one spends being fertile. It is, therefore, a mere pittance to take away the 4% state sales tax on tampons and sanitary pads, but we'll take it—that small relief has just been proposed by New York lawmakers.
Manhattan Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal and Senator Sue Serino of Dutchess County announced legislation yesterday that would exempt feminine hygiene products like tampons and pads from state sales tax, calling the tax "a regressive tax on women and their bodies that harkens back to a time when the laws were written by men for women." Though medical necessities like bandaids, medicines and diapers are exempt from sales tax, tampons are currently treated as a "luxury item," which is fair if you consider how lucky we are to have access to tampons when women in third world countries struggle to find hygienic ways to stem menstrual flow, but much less fair when you consider that condoms are not taxed by the state.
The proposed bill's been backed by Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan—if it does become law, New York will join Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota and New Jersey as a state with no sales tax on feminine hygiene products.
Still, while this will offer some small financial assistance (and means a great deal on principle), Queens City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras has been spearheading legislation that would provide teen girls with access to free tampons. Though this plan hasn't yet come to fruition, the High School for Arts and Business has since installed a dispenser with free tampons and pads in their girls' bathrooms.
