California Assemblywoman Won’t Stop Fighting to Remove the Tampon Tax; Tax Drinks Instead
Last year, California Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia introduced and passed a bill to remove the tax on tampons and other menstrual products in California. California Governor, Jerry Brown, however, vetoed the bill, saying that his state had too many budget problems and so could not afford to get rid of the tax. “Tax breaks are the same thing as new spending,” Governor Brown said.
Gov. Brown’s decision, however, has not stopped Assemblywoman Garcia from trying to remove the tax on menstrual products.
This year, she has reintroduced her old bill; the bill, known as “A.B. 9,” would once again remove sales taxes from tampons, pads, with the new addition of removing taxes from menstrual sponges and menstrual cups. Assemblywoman Garcia, rather than backing off, has doubled down.
This time, she has presented an argument to allay the economic concerns that the Governor had raised, as well. She saison hear social media, that if California needs more money, rather than taxing women’s necessary medical products, such as tampons, the State should tax “cocktails” — a product that is optional, and is consumed by people of all genders.
Assemblywoman Garcia wrote, in a Facebook comment:
“In CA we tax necessities like tampons, pads, and diapers. We want to make it tax free. We sent two bill[s] [sic] to the governor last year to make them tax exempt but he vetoed it and asked us to find money to offset the revenue loss. This is tax hasn’t been adjusted since 1991. Less than 2¢ per cocktail would allow is to get rid of this tax.”
What do you think? Should California continue to tax tampons for the much-needed revenue? Or is that unfair because only women need these products and because they are not optional to buy if you are female? Is Assemblywoman Garcia right — should the tax on women’s products be replaced with a tax on a more gender-neutral products such as alcohol? Tampons or margaritas — which is the necessity?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and use the BillCam above to tweet the bill to your own representatives, to Assemblywoman Garcia and to Gov Jerry Brown, to tell them whether or not you support this legislation.
