New Ohio bill will make menstruation products exempt from luxury tax
The average menstruating individuals will have 460 periods in their lifetime, meaning that they spend 6.5 years of their lives menstruating. An average period lasts 5-7 days with an average of 5 products used per day it totals to at least 25 menstrual products per period with some products costing as much as nearly $10 for a unit of these products.
Menstruating individuals will have to pay an additional tax, often called the Pink Tax, which makes or breaks the decision on buying them. This affects accessibility for those in poverty or college students on a tight budget. This tax is a result of gender discrimination and the gender wage gap. Since women are known to be paid 77 cents to the $1 that a man makes, it makes accessibility to menstrual products more difficult.
A California state study in 1996 found that women annually paid $1,351 in Pink Tax, due to inflation of prices since then, that number has surely increased. The Pink Tax affects a number of products such as razors, shaving cream, clothing, and even children’s toys are affected. For example, at Walmart, a BIC four-pack of women’s razors costs $8.33, whereas the men’s BIC four-pack of razors costs $5.97. Both by the same company, the same amount of razors and blades, yet more than a $2 difference between the two. Removing even the few dollars of tax on these products could greatly help lower-income families, especially with menstrual products.
Feminist organizations such as Planned Parenthood and Women’s Centers work to aid in providing menstrual products to users, as well as raising awareness for and repealing the Pink Tax. Companies such as Aunt Flow work to bridge the gap of accessibility to provide dispensers in public bathrooms of menstrual products made from organic cotton and biodegradable material. It sells menstrual products in wholesale to businesses, organizations, and schools, which offers exclusive student pricing for its dispensers.
“We are a social enterprise, so for every 10 tampons and pads we sell to a business or school, we donate one back to someone living at or below the poverty line through our national bed of security organization, Period Ink.” Said Anne Weigand, director of business development and sales at Aunt Flow.
Ohio Representative Brigid Kelly of District 31 has fought for this issue for years and has introduced a bill twice to repeal the Pink Tax on menstrual products in the state. Rep. Kelly first introduced the bill, House Bill 61, at the previous general assembly in January 2017. When the bill did not pass Kelly had to restart the process of introducing the bill which included getting a new bill number, according to her Legislative Aide, Hope Lane.
Kelly reintroduced the bill, House Bill 19 which is in the process of being passed and awaiting the second hearing from the House of Representatives. It will remove the taxes on applicable menstrual products such as sanitary napkins and tampons. It will aid in the financial barrier among lower-income families and individuals paid minimum wages, face when having to choose between other necessary supplies and menstrual products. House Bill 19 will save each menstruating individual in Ohio $80 from the Pink Tax on these products, and provide more access for these individuals. This amount may not seem like a lot to some people, however, to others it could make a monumental difference in their household.
In Cuyahoga County the tax on these products is 8%, it limits some families who cannot pay the additional tax or even product in general when they are worried about buying groceries or packing lunches for their kids, Lane explains. Worrying about these products distracts these individuals from school or work.
Kelly said in her sponsor testimony that women will spend thousands of dollars on these products during their lifetime.
“Too many hardworking Ohioans – and too many hardworking Americans – are struggling to make ends meet, and we should not further this burden by taxing the purchase of products necessary for women and their medical well-being,” she said in her sponsor testimony
“In fact, according to a survey of 90,000 women from fertility app Clue, 18% of respondents missed school, work, or an event simply because they were afraid of someone discovering that they were on their period.” Said Kelly in her testimony.
She also mentions the financial loss from removing the tax on menstrual products. There is a concern for the loss of revenue is valid, however, the estimated loss is only $4 million, compared to another bill for repealing the sales tax on diapers, House Bill 60, which would cost an $11.7 million a year loss in revenue. However, the money lost would go back directly to the community as the money consumers save could go toward buying other necessary products.
“These costs can add up over a lifetime, and it’s important that we have a responsibility and an obligation in this legislature to try to make life better and easier for the people in the state. And I think this is the practical way to do so,” said Lane about repealing the tax on menstrual products.
To learn more about the Period Project Initiative on campus out this survey https://kent.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eMcJ5WFSpZxen0F
Nathan: Broadcast package, headshots of sources, interviewing sources
Anu: Written portion, gathered background information online, retrieved headshots, uploaded audio interviews, shot b-roll of Aunt Flow dispenser, made an infograph and took photos of said dispenser.
