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U.S. NEWSThursday 10 March 2016
American Living:
Tampon tax: Does being female in the US carry unfair costs?
COLLEEN LONG This photo shows attorney Zoe Salzman, left, and plaintiff Natalie Barack Obama has ques- “Women’s outcry over this
JENNIFER PELTZ Brasington, who have brought a class action lawsuit to end New tioned why the items are issue isn’t just about the tax
Associated Press York sales tax on feminine hygiene products, in New York. The taxed. on tampons. It’s a reflec-
NEW YORK (AP) — Margo lawsuit filed on Thursday, March 3, 2016 argues that it is uncon- “I tend to talk about my pe- tion of the routine unfair-
Seibert and Natalie Bras- stitutional for the state to levy sales tax on tampons and sanitary riod quite a bit, to anyone ness that seeps into our
ington don’t think women napkins while offering medical product exemptions to many who will listen,” said Seib- everyday lives,” said Sonia
should have to pay a “peri- other items used by both genders, like lip balm, foot powder ert, a 31-year-old actress Ossorio, president of the
od tax,” and like a growing and dandruff shampoo. and founder of an online National Organization for
number of other women, campaign that promotes Women in New York. “At
they are publicly question- (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) a “shame-free” period. the end of the day, the
ing whether being female Brasington, a 31-year-old tampon tax movement
in the U.S. carries unfair nois lawmakers were hold- cussed the issue Monday. photographer, said the tax is one small way to chal-
costs. ing a hearing on the lat- Cosmopolitan magazine affects women dispropor- lenge the broader sexism
The pair are among five est proposal Wednesday. launched an online peti- tionately and is a genuine that still persists. Because
New York City women who Connecticut legislators dis- tion, and even President burden for poorer women. that’s the real taboo here.”
filed a lawsuit last week “Being a woman is so ex- While women’s advocates
arguing that it was uncon- pensive,” she said. have long lamented that
stitutional for the state to Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, a many women’s products
levy sales tax on tampons vice president at the NYU cost more, their provid-
and sanitary napkins while School of Law’s Brennan ers say there can be le-
offering medical prod- Center for Justice, said she gitimate reasons — a more
uct exemptions to many began writing articles and decorative product or
other items used by both op-eds on “menstrual eq- more complicated haircut,
genders, like lip balm, foot uity” when she discovered for instance. And some
powder and dandruff food pantries were des- have noted that women
shampoo. perate for sanitary napkins sometimes pay less: for life
The case, they say, is about and tampons because and auto insurance, for ex-
more than the few cents in poor women can’t afford ample.
tax levied on each pack. them. Nationwide, 40 states tax
Sick of the social taboo, The tax campaign reflects feminine hygiene products,
and frustrated by a lack of a broader debate over deeming them non-neces-
access for some to a sta- “gender pricing,” or charg- sities or even “luxury items,”
ple, these women and oth- ing women and men differ- while making exceptions
ers are talking very publicly ent rates for similar prod- for products as similar as
about menstruation and ucts and services, from adult incontinence pads.
gaining political traction haircuts to razors to T-shirts. Currently, five U.S. states ex-
that would have been im- New York City’s consumer empt tampons and other
possible a generation ago. protection agency studied feminine hygiene products
A national push to abol- the cost of 800 common from their sales tax, which
ish sales tax on tampons is household items last year varies around the country
gathering steam, led by so- and found that products from about 2.9 percent to
cial media campaigns like marketed to women cost, as high as 7.5 percent. An-
#periodswithoutshame. At on average, 7 percent other five states have no
least seven states are now more than similar products sales tax.
considering legislation. Illi- for men. New York taxes tampons
and sanitary napkins as
Obama commends Vermont for paid sick leave tools “to control a normal
bodily function and to
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — day. Supporters say about a child or family member. Vermont joins California, maintain personal cleanli-
President Barack Obama is 60,000 Vermont workers do Employers with more than Connecticut, Massachu- ness.”
commending Vermont and not have paid sick time. five employees must pro- setts and Oregon as states The 4 percent state sales
Gov. Peter Shumlin for guar- The law requires employers vide the benefit next year mandating paid sick leave. tax on the products costs
anteeing paid sick leave for to provide a minimum of while those with five or few- More than 20 cities and the New York women millions
working Vermonters. Shum- three paid days off a year er have until 2018. District of Columbia also of dollars a year; estimates
lin, a Democrat, signed for employees to use when The mandatory amount in- have mandatory paid sick range from about $7 mil-
the bill into law Wednes- they are sick or to care for creases to five days in 2019. leave. lion to twice that, a minute
fraction of the state’s $142
billion budget.
