Lawmakers Push Decision On ‘Tampon Tax’ Bill To Next Month
Sponsors of the bill say the "tampon tax" poses a particularly unfair financial burden on the 4.6 million women living in poverty in California. Enactment of the measure would reduce state and local revenues by an estimated $20 million a year.
Reuters:
California Lawmakers Delay 'Tampon Tax' Exemption Bill
A California Assembly panel delayed action on Monday on a bill to end sales taxes on tampons and sanitary napkins, an exemption already enacted in five other states in a growing movement against what sponsors say is a tax that unjustly targets women. The measure has garnered bipartisan support in the Democratic-controlled California legislature, but the Assembly's Revenue and Taxation Committee placed the bill on the panel's "suspense file," meaning its fate will be determined early next month. (4/4)
The Sacramento Bee:
California Tampon Tax Must Go, Legislators Say
Rarely do Democrats and Republicans find common ground on tax policy, but tampons offer an exception. With a bill to exempt feminine hygiene products from sales taxes headed to its first vote on Monday, legislators from both parties gathered at the Capitol in support of lifting a tax they said punishes women. They got support from a member of the state Board of Equalization – the tax board has backed lifting the policy – and a pair of precocious college student twins. (White, 4/4)
The Huffington Post:
‘I’m Tired Of Being Taxed For Being A Woman’
Activists rallied Monday at the California state capitol building in Sacramento to push for a bill ending the state tax on tampons and other menstrual products. The bill, introduced earlier this year, would exempt tampons and pads from state sales tax. The legislation’s authors, Assemblymembers Cristina Garcia (D) and Ling Ling Chang (R), are now working on an amendment to add more female health products, such as cups and sponges, to the no-tax list. In 40 states, including California, tampons, pads and similar products are subject to sales tax, which generally means that they’re not classified as necessities. (Reilly, 4/4)