Womanhood is a beautiful thing, but it can be expensive. When one accounts for all the various products that women require to manage their menstruation cycles, the costs can really add up. Between Midol, tampons, panty liners and birth control, some estimates have calculated the lifetime costs related to menstruation management in excess of $18,000.
Now, consider this: In 4 out of every 5 states, a sales tax is charged on feminine hygiene products, usually by treating such items as "luxuries" instead of "necessities." As a consequence, many American women aren't simply being faced with the cost of such products - they're being forced to pay taxes on products that are "basic necessities" for one gender, and one gender only.
Equality Doesn't Include Taxes That Only Apply to One Gender
The time has come to end the tax on womanhood. To address this issue, American Millennials is proposing federal legislation to qualify all feminine hygiene products as "basic necessities" and ineligible as a source of tax revenue. The proposed legislation falls within Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.
In addition to adding this policy initiative to the Millennial Platform, AmericanMillennials.com is proud to announce that we'll be taking this issue straight to the halls of Congress in the coming weeks.
Help Us End the Tax on Womanhood
If you'd like to help us ban the tax on womanhood, please go to PerfectRepublic.com/pages/participate and make a donation with the hashtag "#womanhood" in the message. Or reach out to us on social media! We're looking for anyone willing to go door-to-door in the halls of Congress to seek support for this legislative proposal.
Note: This post was originally published on AmericanMillennials.com on March 30, 2016. Small edits were made when the post was transferred to PerfectRepublic.com in November, 2020.