The Catch-All Book

Tampons, Pads and Mensie Cups Are Not A Luxury Petition # 2

https://chng.it/g58z24Gj44

Eliminate NC's Luxury Tax on Menstrual Products

Each year, menstruators in North Carolina are taxed millions of dollars on tampons and pads. Why? According to North Carolina law, menstrual products are "non-essential goods" and are taxed at a rate of 4.75%.

But people who menstruate know that menstrual hygiene products are not unnecessary and they're certainly not luxury products. Menstrual cycles are natural bodily functions, and products that help menstruators participate safely and comfortably in everyday life, should not be treated like luxuries.

Menstrual hygiene is not a privilege, it is a right! The tax placed on these hygiene products may seem insignificant, but every dollar and cent counts for low-income North Carolinians.

Students in high-school and college are particularly hard hit by this tax. Approximately 13% of respondents to private surveys report missing school or work because they could not afford menstrual hygiene products. In fact, 20% of women and girls (between the ages of 12 and 44) live below the federal poverty line, and the increased tax on essential hygiene products harms them especially.

It's clear that lack of access to essential hygiene products can significantly impact someone's education and financial outcomes, especially if they are already low-income.

Over the past decade, several states have eliminated the sales tax on some menstrual hygiene products. At this time, 19 states have eliminated the tampon tax, but North Carolina is one of the remaining 31 states that still levies the tax.

We cannot allow people to pay a luxury tax for a natural bodily function. We are calling on the North Carolina Legislature to pass legislation that would exempt menstrual products from sales tax.

Eliminating the tax on menstrual hygiene products would have a very small impact on our state budget. The sales tax on these products is estimated to generate only $5.5 million in revenue each year, but eliminating the tax on these essential products would provide a tax break to over half of our state's population and make a significant difference in the lives of families and students across our state who struggle to afford these basic hygiene products.

Our goal is to gather at least 1,000 signatures and place the pressure on our policymakers to repeal the tampon tax, and we need your help! Sign this petition, share it with your friends, and join the Menstrual Movement in creating change for millions of menstruators and demanding systemic change towards gender equality.