Michigan doesn't require you to pay sales tax on things you need to live, like groceries and medicine.
Senator David Knezek (D-Dearborn Heights) says that list should include tampons and feminine hygiene products. "Things that women use and need each and every month, I think that they should be exempt from that tax as well," Knezek said.
Right now, state law classifies tampons as an optional luxury item. "I don't think you would find any women in this state who think that having their period every month is a luxurious experience," Knezek said. He and Senator Rebekah Warren (D-AnnArbor) introduced two bills that would exempt feminine hygiene products from sales and use tax because they're medically necessary.
Dr. Melody Angel, of Lansing Urgent Care, says she agrees with changing the classification. "If it's not attended to it would have the potential of spreading germs and viruses," Angel said. "It needs to be used just like toilet paper needs to be used."
The tax also sends a message of inequality, Angel says. "This is one, an important but unspoken, way in which we often make women feel like they are less than the next person," she said.
If a woman spends about $10 a month on tampons and other feminine hygiene products, that adds up to more than $4000 in her lifetime, and about $250 in tax.
"For women here in the state of Michigan, every penny matters," Knezek said. "This is a great way to talk about an issue that, for a long time, people have been uncomfortable talking about and to do so in a way that benefits the women in Michigan."
Both bills have been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.
