California Lawmakers Rally to End Sales Tax on Tampons

On Monday, Assemblymember Christina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) hosted a press conference to raise awareness of Assembly Bill 1561, a measure to make menstrual produces exempt from sales tax.

She was joined by State Senator Steve Glazer and Assemblymembers Catharine Baker and Ling Ling Chang as well as Fiona Ma, Chair of the California State Board of Equalization.

This bipartisan effort to end the “tampon tax” and bring more gender equity to California’s tax code will culminate later in day when AB 1561 is heard in the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee.

Assemblymember Cristina Garcia encourages the public to join the movement and say “No Tax on Tampons! Period.” Currently in California, devices such as such as walkers, medical identification tags, and prescription medication, including Viagra are tax exempt. While essential female health products such as Tampons have been declared “Medical Devices” by the USFDA, women today in California continue to pay an unfair tax on these items. AB 1561 is a step in the right direction to fix this gender injustice.

For information on AB1561, potential supporters are encouraged to sign her petition at: http://asmdc.org/members/a58/other-resources/support-ab-1561