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Effective January 1, 2023, Virginia eliminates taxes on personal hygiene products, including menstrual products
As of December 2022, 50% of states charge sales tax on menstruation products, often called the “tampon tax” and these taxes cost the average person who menstruates between $100-$225 over the course of their lives. Starting in 2023, Virginia (and Iowa) will no longer tax “personal hygiene products,” which includes menstruation products such as pads and tampons. Virginia passed a law in July 2022 that removed the personal hygiene tax.
The tax change will ease some burden on individuals who face period poverty. Period poverty, a lack of access to menstrual hygiene products, and other unmet menstrual health needs can have far-reaching consequences for people who experience menstruation.
Associate Professor at George Mason University Jhumka Gupta studies populations who have been made vulnerable, both within and outside of the United States, including violence against and inequities faced by women and children. Her recent research highlights how one in 10 college women report experiencing period poverty. Dr. Gupta’s research also showed that period poverty was associated with a higher likelihood of symptoms consistent with depression among college students. Gupta shares insights about how Virginia eliminating the tax on personal hygiene products, including menstrual products, can improve public health and reduce health inequities. She is available for further comment.
How does the tampon tax on personal hygiene products relate to period poverty?
Period poverty is a common yet hidden and stigmatized public health issue in the United States and globally. Taxing essential items that people who menstruate require puts a heavier economic and personal burden on them and contributes to period poverty, which can reduce women’s and other menstruators’ participation in school and in the workplace. It is critical that we provide support to women and other menstruators in obtaining such basic necessities during menstruation, and eliminating the personal hygiene tax to help decrease a portion of the burden.
Who does taxing menstrual products affect most?
Our study of period poverty in college women points to inequities in period poverty experiences. The cost, including tax, of menstrual products contributes to these experiences. Black and Latina women reported the highest levels of period poverty experiences in the past year (19% and 24.5% respectively). Similar patterns were also seen for immigrant and first-generation students. In order to address the unmet basic need for menstrual products, women who experienced period poverty reported borrowing products, using other non-menstrual products (e.g., toilet paper or fabric), using pads or tampons longer than recommended, or going without them entirely during menstruation. By eliminating this tax in Virginia, Black, Latina, and immigrant women are likely to benefit the most.
How does eliminating the personal hygiene tax help address health equity?
Period poverty could be eliminated if the United States offered free period products, like Scotland did earlier this year. Until that happens, eliminating the tax on these essential products is a step in the right direction by decreasing the inequity this tax causes. With period products costing less without tax, the burden on those who have difficulty affording the products will be slightly reduced. This also has implications for improved mental health.
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Jhumka Gupta, ScD, is an associate professor in the Department of Global and Community Health within the College of Public Health. Her research program applies a social epidemiology framework towards advancing the science of gender-based violence against women and girls (e.g., intimate partner violence, sex trafficking). Specifically, she investigates the mental and reproductive health implications of gender-based violence, and conducts intervention studies aimed at reducing violence against women. Her recent research includes menstrual health, including unmet menstrual needs and those experiencing endometriosis. She has authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications on these topics. She also serves as associate editor of BMC International Health and Human Rights.
About Mason
George Mason University, Virginia’s largest public research university, enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2022, Mason celebrates 50 years as an independent institution. Learn more at http://www.gmu.edu.
About the College of Public Health at George Mason University
The College of Public Health at George Mason University is the first and only College of Public Health in Virginia, combining public health transdisciplinary research, education, and practice in the Commonwealth as a national exemplar. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students in our nationally recognized programs, including six undergraduate degrees, eight master’s degrees, five doctoral degrees, and six professional certificate programs. The College is comprised of the School of Nursing and the Departments of Global and Community Health, Health Administration and Policy, Nutrition and Food Studies, and Social Work.