New State Budget Eliminates 'Tampon Tax' In Rhode Island

Rhode Island women will no longer have to pay sales tax on period products. Under the new state budget, approved by the House of Representatives in a rare Saturday morning session, pads, tampons and other feminine hygiene products will be exempt from Rhode Island's sales tax starting with the new fiscal year.

The new state budget includes a proposal from Representative Edith Ajello and Senator Louis DiPalma, who introduced independent legislation calling for the tax exemption earlier this year.

"Exempting menstrual products is relief from both a financial burden and an injustice for women. This tax makes an expensive necessity even more unaffordable for many women, and it adds up over the course of a lifetime to a significant amount – for which there is no equivalent for men," Rep. Ajello, a Providence Democrat, said. "It amounts to a tax on being a woman, and I’m so glad that Rhode Island is joining the growing ranks of states that recognize that they should not be imposing a tax on a woman every time she needs to buy menstrual products."

All menstrual products, pads, tampons, panty liners, menstural cups and any other items will no longer be subject to the state's seven percent sales tax, the same as other items deemed "necessary." Other exempt items include clothing that costs less than $250, food, newspapers, coffins, boats and more.

"Rhode Island should not be taxing feminine hygiene products as if buying them is some kind of luxury that indicates a person’s ability to pitch in a little more to support the state. They are a necessity, and one that is already fairly expensive for those of limited means. You can’t buy them with SNAP, and many women and girls can’t afford as many as they actually need," East Bay Senator DiPalma said. "The state doesn’t need to add to their costs. For the same reason we exempt food and clothing — necessity — we should exempt menstrual products, and I’m very pleased that now our state will."

Both Ajello and DiPalma have filed bills calling for an end to the state's "tampon tax" since 2016. Planned Parenthood, the Rhode Island Medical Society and the Women's Policy Institute have all spoken out in the legislation's favor.

Across the country, 10 of the 45 states that collect sales tax currently exempt period products, including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey. Outside the U.S., Canada and several other countries have enacted nationwide bans.

Both sponsors have filed the bill since 2016, and it has been supported by the Rhode Island Medical Society, Planned Parenthood and the Women’s Policy Institute.

Of the 45 U.S. states that collect sales tax, 10, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, currently exempt feminine hygiene products. Canada eliminated the “tampon tax” nationwide in 2015, and several other countries have as well.

While the tax's elimination may seem like a drop in the bucket, the savings to the average Rhode Island woman add up over time. At this time, a 36 pack of tampons from CVS costs $6.29, which would be taxed 44 cents. Over the course of four decades, a woman who bought one box per month would pay a total of $211 in sales tax alone.

The state budget now moves to the Senate for approval.