Are pads and tampons taxed but Viagra and Rogaine not?

[smilesammich 10,727]

 

 

Quote

When it comes to sales taxes on purchases, states typically set the rules.

Seven states currently exempt tampons, menstrual cups and pads from taxation, the latest of which came into effect Jan. 1, 2017 (Illinois), said sales tax consultant Diane Yetter. Washington D.C.’s exemption, passed in December 2016, is pending congressional approval, and Connecticut's will kick in July 1, 2018.

Five states (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon) have no sales tax at all. So, as of Jan. 22, 2017, 38 states and D.C. tax feminine hygiene products.

Because it is a prescription drug, Viagra, an erectile dysfunction medicine, isn’t taxed in any state except Illinois.  

Rogaine, a product for hair loss, is exempt from taxes in eight states because it is an over-the-counter treatment and doesn’t require a prescription. (Four states have qualified exemptions for nonprescription that Rogaine does not appear to qualify for.)

We won’t weigh in on whether the disparity between taxation of feminine hygiene and erectile dysfunction drugs is ethical or sexist. But there is context for how that disparity came to exist.  

Nicole Kaeding, a state tax policy analyst at the free-market oriented Tax Foundation, stressed that the term "tampon tax" is a misnomer because feminine hygiene products are not subject to a specific tax in any state.

"There is no more a tampon tax than there is a soap tax, shampoo tax, or toilet paper tax," Kaeding said.

As we mentioned, many states do provide exemptions for necessities like food and medicine. (Kaeding and the Tax Analysts’ David Brunori believe these items should be taxed as well.)

But "menstruation isn’t considered a disease or illness," said Yetter. "Tampons and pads are often included in the category of grooming and hygiene products."

It’s also important to note that tax exemptions apply to broad categories and not any male product explicitly.  

"You could easily pick a drug that only applies to females, say birth control pills, and those would fall under the same sales tax exemptions as Viagra or Rogaine," said Kaeding.

http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/jan/22/ashley-judd/are-pads-and-tampons-taxed-viagra-and-rogaine-not/

 

for my lovely cehst muse idwaf. i'm not sure who told you the tampon tax is your fault and i'm also not sure what is so confusing about it.. lmk if you have anymore questions.

 

basically pads, tampons fall under sales tax categories in most states because they are considered hygiene products, like shampoo or soap or lotion (see above) 

however, there aren't very many us citizens that wish for women by and large to forgo using such 'hygiene products' so there is a push from some women to eliminate the added tax.  sales tax might not seem like much, but poor women have difficulty affording pads/tampons. the sales tax adds to that financial burden, that can last upward of 40 years. personally i don't see what the big deal is if pads/tampons were to be tax exempt, like viagra (and sometimes rogaine) and i feel like eventually all states will come around to making such products tax exempt.

[yuna628 9,671]

10 minutes ago, smilesammich said:

 

 

http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/jan/22/ashley-judd/are-pads-and-tampons-taxed-viagra-and-rogaine-not/

 

for my lovely cehst muse idwaf. i'm not sure who told you the tampon tax is your fault and i'm also not sure what is so confusing about it.. lmk if you have anymore questions.

 

basically pads, tampons fall under sales tax categories in most states because they are considered hygiene products, like shampoo or soap or lotion (see above) 

however, there aren't very many us citizens that wish for women by and large to forgo using such 'hygiene products' so there is a push from some women to eliminate the added tax.  sales tax might not seem like much, but poor women have difficulty affording pads/tampons. the sales tax adds to that financial burden, that can last upward of 40 years. personally i don't see what the big deal is if pads/tampons were to be tax exempt, like viagra (and sometimes rogaine) and i feel like eventually all states will come around to making such products tax exempt.

It sounds reasonable to me for these items to be reclassified into essential items instead of hygiene products. I would also like to see baby diapers removed from such a list as well.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Food is taxed, and much more of a necessity than pads. And water, electricity,  gasoline too.  And condoms.  Whatever happened to the simplistic approach of using clean rags and washing them?  They may not last 40 years, but surely a woman could get at least 9-10 good years' worth of use out of them?

 

The comparison with viagra is a poor one, too.  Compare viagra, cialis, and whatever other one or two ED drugs are out there to all the Prozac, ambien, lithium, valproate, asenapine, carbamazepine, lamotrigine (and the list goes on) that are not taxed.  

 

I don't think paying taxes on pads is all that much of a burden on a budget.

Edited January 26, 2017 by IDWAF

[smilesammich 10,727]

5 minutes ago, IDWAF said:

Food is taxed, and much more of a necessity than pads. And water, electricity,  gasoline too.  And condoms.  Whatever happened to the simplistic approach of using clean rags and washing them?  They may not last 40 years, but surely a woman could get at least 9-10 good years' worth of use out of them?

 

The comparison with viagra is a poor one, too.  Compare viagra, cialis, and whatever other one or two ED drugs are out there to all the Prozac, ambien, lithium, valproate, asenapine, carbamazepine, lamotrigine (and the list goes on) that are not taxed.  

 

I don't think paying taxes on pads is all that much of a burden on a budget.

thank you for clearing up my confusion as to why you personally have been blamed for the tampon tax. i now blame you too. SMH

[smilesammich 10,727]

12 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

It sounds reasonable to me for these items to be reclassified into essential items instead of hygiene products. I would also like to see baby diapers removed from such a list as well.

can you get a tax credit for using cloth diapers? that's where we should be trying to get everyone..with the cloth.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

9 minutes ago, IDWAF said:

Food is taxed, and much more of a necessity than pads. And water, electricity,  gasoline too.  And condoms.  Whatever happened to the simplistic approach of using clean rags and washing them?  They may not last 40 years, but surely a woman could get at least 9-10 good years' worth of use out of them?

 

The comparison with viagra is a poor one, too.  Compare viagra, cialis, and whatever other one or two ED drugs are out there to all the Prozac, ambien, lithium, valproate, asenapine, carbamazepine, lamotrigine (and the list goes on) that are not taxed.  

 

I don't think paying taxes on pads is all that much of a burden on a budget.

Yes because it's oh so practical to wash out cloth in the workplace everyday.  It's practical for athletes and those with heavy physical jobs (I'll even include strippers in this one) to wear heavy bulky pieces of cloth.

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

14 minutes ago, IDWAF said:

Food is taxed, and much more of a necessity than pads. And water, electricity,  gasoline too.  And condoms.  Whatever happened to the simplistic approach of using clean rags and washing them?  They may not last 40 years, but surely a woman could get at least 9-10 good years' worth of use out of them?

 

 

 

Tell me that this is satire and that your have post 19th Century views on health and hygiene.

[yuna628 9,671]

16 minutes ago, IDWAF said:

Food is taxed, and much more of a necessity than pads. And water, electricity,  gasoline too.  And condoms.  Whatever happened to the simplistic approach of using clean rags and washing them?  They may not last 40 years, but surely a woman could get at least 9-10 good years' worth of use out of them?

 

The comparison with viagra is a poor one, too.  Compare viagra, cialis, and whatever other one or two ED drugs are out there to all the Prozac, ambien, lithium, valproate, asenapine, carbamazepine, lamotrigine (and the list goes on) that are not taxed.  

 

I don't think paying taxes on pads is all that much of a burden on a budget.

Spoken like a person who has never had a period in their life. Have you even seen what a heavy period looks like?  Before the invention of tampons and pads, women suffered greatly and mostly couldn't even leave the house if their little 'rags' and 'belt system' couldn't cope!

Edited January 26, 2017 by yuna628

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

There's nothing I'd rather contemplate than washing out uterine clumps from a rag. Amirite, ladies? 

[smilesammich 10,727]

4 minutes ago, elmcitymaven said:

There's nothing I'd rather contemplate than washing out uterine clumps from a rag. Amirite, ladies? 

ah yes - uterine clumps, much much nicer than what i was going to say. 

[yuna628 9,671]

10 minutes ago, elmcitymaven said:

There's nothing I'd rather contemplate than washing out uterine clumps from a rag. Amirite, ladies? 

 Amen. I'd give it a try some time at a work place for experiment and giggles purposes. See if the coworkers could handle the bloodbath evidence left behind. For some of us it could look like a real live massacre. And for those that may believe a potential expelled fertilized baby-egg may have existed in such a clump, should we hold a funeral for it before flushing, after flushing, or before washing?

Edited January 26, 2017 by yuna628

[8bit_Theatre 64]

24 minutes ago, IDWAF said:

Food is taxed, and much more of a necessity than pads. And water, electricity,  gasoline too.  And condoms.  Whatever happened to the simplistic approach of using clean rags and washing them?  They may not last 40 years, but surely a woman could get at least 9-10 good years' worth of use out of them?

 

The comparison with viagra is a poor one, too.  Compare viagra, cialis, and whatever other one or two ED drugs are out there to all the Prozac, ambien, lithium, valproate, asenapine, carbamazepine, lamotrigine (and the list goes on) that are not taxed.  

 

I don't think paying taxes on pads is all that much of a burden on a budget.

Generally speaking unprepared food is not taxed in most states. Examples include fruits and vegetables, raw meat etc.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

4 minutes ago, smilesammich said:

ah yes - uterine clumps, much much nicer than what i was going to say. 

 

I call it "chunkstyle." 

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

12 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

Spoken like a person who has never had a period in their life. Have you even seen what a heavy period looks like?  Before the invention of tampons and pads, women suffered greatly and mostly couldn't even leave the house if their little 'rags' and 'belt system' couldn't cope!

Done much more than just seeing it.

[smilesammich 10,727]

1 minute ago, IDWAF said:

Done much more than just seeing it.

alright. so idwaf is proud of his redwings. awesome. do you want to have a convo about the tax or get the thread closed after you get your chest thumping for the day out?