The cost of period products in the United States adds up to approximately $6,000 per person over a lifetime, a 2021 research publication reveals, and this amount does not even account for taxes. Currently, 21 states impose a sales tax ranging from 4% to 7% on items like pads and tampons, rendering these essential products more expensive, according to data from the Alliance for Period Supplies.
While most states exempt certain essential goods such as grocery store produce, canned food, and prescription medicines from sales tax, menstrual care products in states with a “tampon tax” are considered “luxury items.” The term “tampon tax” generally covers tampons and various other menstrual care products. Additionally, the broader issue of the so-called “pink tax” refers to instances where products marketed toward women, like razors, deodorants, and shampoo, cost more than equivalent products marketed toward men.
Over the past forty years, states with sales tax have been progressively enacting laws to eliminate taxes on menstrual products. Minnesota led the way in 1981, and since then, 23 others, along with Washington, D.C., have followed suit. Texas, most recently, eliminated its state sales tax on period products in September, joining the growing list. In Kentucky, two bills aiming to waive the tampon tax were introduced last week, one sponsored by a Republican and the other by a Democrat.
Lacey Gero, the director of government relations for the Alliance For Period Supplies, noted that Southeastern states often follow Texas’ legislative model. She anticipates more states may eliminate tampon taxes in the coming years, citing bipartisan efforts in states like Alabama where legislation to exempt both diapers and period products from sales tax is gaining momentum.
Kentucky Representative Lisa Willner, a Democrat supporting one of the state’s bills aimed at the tampon tax, views the success of similar legislation in other states as a positive sign. She emphasizes the non-partisan nature of the issue, stating, “Kentucky is a deep red state, so seeing this be successful in other red states absolutely is a very hopeful sign that this need not be a partisan issue at all. It’s a public health issue.”
A 2023 survey by the underwear brand Thinx and the nonprofit organization PERIOD revealed that roughly a quarter of teens and a third of adults face challenges affording period products. The issue disproportionately affects Black and Latinx individuals compared to their white counterparts. Many public health experts consider period products essential, emphasizing that difficulties in obtaining or affording them may lead people to extend the use of a particular product, elevating the risk of infection or toxic shock syndrome.
Jhumka Gupta, an associate professor of public health at George Mason University, underscores the psychological impact of not being able to afford menstrual products, linking it to a higher incidence of depression. Despite progress, there remain obstacles to eliminating the tampon tax nationwide.
