Colorado becomes the latest state to levy taxes on diapers and tampons after bipartisan legislation was signed to help locals save money amid crisis in the cost of living
- The new law will save Coloradans a total of $9.1 million annually, the state said
- Individuals spend about $15 a month on period products and $75 on diapers
- It comes as lawmakers seek to lower costs for low-income families
Colorado has become the latest state to eliminate the sales tax on diapers and tampons thanks to a new law that went into effect Wednesday.
Adult and baby diapers, tampons, pads, menstrual cups, sponges, sanitary napkins and panty liners are now tax-free in the state.
The new law will save Coloradans a total of $9.1 million annually, the state said.
“This new bipartisan law finally ends the sales tax on diapers and feminine hygiene products permanently and starts saving people money for these necessary products,” Gov. Jared Polis helped in a press release Monday.
The table lists the 23 of 50 states that have granted tax breaks for diapers or tampons. Source: Fortune
According to the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, individuals spend about $15 a month on period products.
Diapers cost even more, with families paying around $75 per month per child.
“Eliminating sales taxes on diapers, menstrual and incontinence products will help improve the affordability of these essential items at a time when overpricing is hitting working families hard,” said State Rep. Susan Lontine, who sponsored the bill, according to Yahoo News .
The law will help destigmatize hygiene products, said Rep. Leslie Herod, who also sponsored the bill.
One in five American teenagers finds it difficult to afford menstrual products, according to a study commissioned by Thinx and PERIOD.
“This is about dignity,” Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis said in a statement. “The more we can make these products affordable, the more access people will have to these essential products and the more money people in our state will save.”
Colorado has become the latest state to eliminate the sales tax on diapers and tampons thanks to a new law that goes into effect Wednesday. Packs of Tampax brand tampons on a drugstore shelf in New York
It comes as lawmakers seek to lower costs for low-income families during a spike in US inflation.
The state announced plans to pay Coloradans at least $500 for individual applicants and $1,000 for joint applicants in tax refunds to provide immediate relief.
It also gave citizens homeowner property tax breaks worth an average of $474 over three years, the state claimed.
A complete list of the state’s “100 Ways the Polis Administration is Saving Coloradans Money” can be found here.
Countries like the UK and Germany have scrapped the tampon tax entirely following calls from women’s rights activists.
Stock photo: Menstruation activists demonstrate at the Capitol during a National Period Day rally on Saturday