Each year, menstruators in the United States lose $150 million on tampons and pads because of an unfair and gender-specific tax. According to Idaho law, menstrual products are deemed non-essential goods and are taxed at 6% in the state, thereby implying that the purchase of menstrual hygiene products is unnecessary -- a luxury. However, other products like Viagra, hair loss treatments, and chainsaws are not taxed. This is unacceptable. This exemption needs to be extended to menstrual products because menstrual hygiene is a right, not a privilege!

And when we say it is a right, we mean it. Human Rights Watch deems access to clean, safe, and affordable menstrual products as a human right; because a simple biological factor shouldn’t be a barrier to equality. While not all menstruators are women and not all women menstruate, for those who do- period poverty is a real barrier. Women make up larger proportions of low-income populations, and women with children represent over three-quarters of the population of homeless families. As they work to get out of poverty, every extra dollar spent on menstrual products moves other life necessities out of reach.

We are calling on Idaho Governor Brad Little, and the Idaho State Legislature to introduce and pass new legislation to repeal the Tampon Tax.

For the average consumer, this tax can become burdensome, as menstruators are already expected to pay $11,000 during their lifetime on tampons or pads alone, and this number does not include other menstrual care expenses such as pain killers or heating pads. For Idaho’s most vulnerable, however, the Tampon Tax can make menstrual health and hygiene impossible. Standing consistent with the National Poverty Rate, 11.8% of Idahoans are estimated to be in poverty. The luxury tax placed on menstrual products coupled with these statistics reiterates how pressing the issue of period poverty is in the state of Idaho.

In Idaho, menstrual products cannot be purchased with food stamps. In a state where women, on average, make nearly 1.5 times less per year than men and a country where transgender individuals are more than two times as likely to be living in poverty, this gender-biased tax code punishes those whose menstruate. In addition, members of the LGBTQ+ community face additional barriers to accessing menstrual products as systemic barriers mean they are more likely to experience extreme poverty or homelessness, among other factors. The lack of access to menstrual products can often result in severe consequences for menstruators such as being forced to find crude menstrual product alternatives like old newspapers, rags, toilet paper, paper towels, and even old socks.

Half of the Idaho population menstruates, and the Tampon Tax only adds extra financial pressure to these individuals. We demand an end to the Tampon Tax. We demand action toward achieving gender equity and opening up the conversation on menstrual hygiene. As members of the larger Idaho community, menstruators and non-menstruators alike, it is our civic duty to note injustice and act upon it.

We cannot and will not allow people to pay a luxury tax for a natural bodily function.
Join us in our call for an end to the Tampon Tax in Idaho. Sign this petition, share it with your friends, and help Idaho join the Menstrual Movement along with New York, Washington D.C., Minnesota, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, and Ohio in creating change for millions of menstruators and demanding systemic change towards gender equality.