Michigan removes sales tax on tampons, other menstrual products

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed legislation on Thursday that would remove the sales tax on tampons and other menstrual products.

“Today, I eliminated the tampon tax to lower prices for Michiganders. Repealing this unfair tax has been a long time in the making, but this is the year that we pulled everyone together to get it done,” Whitmer tweeted on Thursday.

Today, I eliminated the tampon tax to lower prices for Michiganders. Repealing this unfair tax has been a long time in the making, but this is the year that we pulled everyone together to get it done. pic.twitter.com/EWYpt5vTWc

— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) November 4, 2021

Beginning in early February, menstrual products will no longer carry a six percent sales tax, The Associated Press reported. According to Period Equity, an organization that advocates for eliminating the “tampon tax,” 23 states currently do not tax period products while 27 do.

The AP notes that revenue from period products amount to around $6.3 million each year in Michigan, though the figure is a far cry from the amount of money that the state brings in through sales and use tax collections, which is about $11 billion.

A joint report by Period Equity and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) found that at least 500 million people who menstruate lack information, support and period supplies when it comes to the topic of their periods.

The report also found that people could expect to pay at least $1,000 in tampons, pads and other period products over their lifetime. Local and state taxes can be as much as 10 percent, making the items expensive for lower income communities. 

“This is a common sense move that will reduce an unfair tax burden that is placed on only half of Michigan’s population for a significant portion of our lives,” state Sen. Winnie Brinks (D), a sponsor of the legislation, said after the Senate passed the legislation in late October, according to the AP.

“These bills will move Michigan toward a fairer tax structure, which is a goal I think we all share regardless of which side of the aisle we sit on,” she added.