Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer repealed taxation of menstrual products November 4.
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| Photo by Karolina Grabowska for Pexels |
According to a press release from the governor's office, this will save families an estimated $3,360 to $4,800 over a lifetime.
"After years of trying to repeal this tax, I am proud that we are bringing people together to put Michiganders first and drive down costs on these essential products," Governor Whitmer said.
The press release states that "the average menstruating Michigander has 456 periods, totaling 6.25 years, and uses 17,000 tampons or pads." Now, the 6% Michigan sales tax will no longer apply to tampons or pads.
"Today, Michigan finally took a huge step forward in joining the ranks of states who have eliminated the "tampon tax," Senator Mallory McMorrow said. "While it's a small savings per purchase, those taxes have historically added up over a lifetime for one half of Michigan's population, and not the other. It's a small change with a big impact."
Today, I signed the second bill in the bipartisan package that repeals the tampon tax. I'm proud that we're cutting costs on these essential products that so many Michiganders need. https://t.co/URf2SynrLh pic.twitter.com/yG0radm1zV
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) November 5, 2021
Michigan joins states like California, Illinois and New York in eliminating taxation of these essential products. Currently, there are 27 states still employing the tax.
House Bill 5267 and Senate Bill 153 were part of a bipartisan effort to end the tax.
Carefree Campaign, a nonprofit started by three Detroit high school seniors, wants to normalize talking about menstruation, and make products more accessible and affordable.
Vaishnavi Jagalur, Medha Maroju and Varnika Chandra say they aim to "[reduce] the supply shortage, [raise] awareness about the issue, and [lobby] for the removal of the tampon and pink tax."
November 4th Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the bill to officially end the tampon tax on menstrual products in Michigan.
— Carefree Campaign (@carefreecmpgn) November 6, 2021
An important step for all menstruators to have proper access to products and feel comfortable in their own body. @NoviIncubator @KBFranchi @TeacherHattie pic.twitter.com/MAOjW3sajb
"This legislation allows us to reduce taxes while improving public health by eliminating an unnecessary tax on very necessary items," Representative Bryan Posthumus said. "In my view, this isn't a gender issue or a partisan issue, this is about putting money back into the pockets of Michigan families - and we did that here."
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