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New Proposal Aims to End Michigan Taxes on Menstruation Products
As part of a budget proposal introduced yesterday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed ending the sales tax on women's menstrual products, as reported by ABC News 12.
This would include tampons, pads and any other products needed during menstruation. Currently, the tax is 6%.
Now, you may be reading this thinking, "Okay. So what?" But, this is a big deal. Or at least a step towards eliminating higher prices for women specific products. Also known as The Pink Tax.
I, at the age of 32, only learned about the Pink Tax in the last 5 years. To put it simply, studies have been conducted on the price of multiple products both for women and men. On average, women paid a higher price for their items. Things like razors or dress pants or deodorant where the only difference may be a pink color added to the "women's" product where the men's may be blue. Candace Elliot wrote a very comprehensive piece about the Pink Tax. You can read it on Listen Money Matters.
Aside from menstrual products, the solution is pretty simple. Use the products designed for men! I switched to "male" razors. I'll use men's shaving cream. Heck, I'll even buy men's graphic tees if I'm in the mood. But, that philosophy doesn't apply to menstruation products. There's no cheaper version available. Which is why the elimination of that 6% tax would be beneficial.
Especially since menstruation products aren't a "luxury" item as they're currently categorized. They're a necessity for at least half of the population.
If this passes, Michigan will join other states who have already ended their taxation on menstruation products like New York and Florida as well as countries like Canada, Australia and the UK.
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