{"id":8094,"date":"2023-10-12T03:13:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T20:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=8094"},"modified":"2023-10-12T03:13:03","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T20:13:03","slug":"tampon-tax-back-coalition-will-pay-your-tampon-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=8094","title":{"rendered":"Tampon Tax Back Coalition Will Pay Your Tampon Tax"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">F<\/span>or the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joghr.org\/article\/32436-period-poverty-why-it-should-be-everybody-s-business\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.joghr.org\/article\/32436-period-poverty-why-it-should-be-everybody-s-business\">more than 11 million people in this country who face period poverty<\/a>, being able to afford necessary menstrual hygiene products like tampons, pads, or panty liners every month is tough enough, as is. But the addition of <a href=\"https:\/\/allianceforperiodsupplies.org\/tampon-tax\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/allianceforperiodsupplies.org\/tampon-tax\/\">sales tax still levied by 21 states on such period-care necessities<\/a> only adds insult to injury. It&#8217;s for this reason that gender-inclusive and sustainable period-care brand <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/august-period-brand\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/august-period-brand\/\">August<\/a> has joined hands with seven other menstrual hygiene brands\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%3Fid%3D104860X1561639%26xs%3D1%26xcust%3DSTMSHM-152691%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fcora.life%252F&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Ftampon-tax-back-coalition%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/cora.life\/\" data-type=\"affiliateLink\">Cora<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/mylola.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/mylola.com\/\">LOLA<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thehoneypot.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/thehoneypot.co\/\">The Honey Pot<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%3Fid%3D104860X1561639%26xs%3D1%26xcust%3DSTMSBT-486295%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.getrael.com%252F&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Ftampon-tax-back-coalition%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.getrael.com\/\" data-type=\"affiliateLink\">Rael<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hereweflo.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.hereweflo.co\/\">Here We Flo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%3Fid%3D104860X1561639%26xs%3D1%26xcust%3DSTMSHL-1122159%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fsaalt.com%252F&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Ftampon-tax-back-coalition%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/saalt.com\/\" data-type=\"affiliateLink\">Saalt<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%3Fid%3D104860X1561639%26xs%3D1%26xcust%3DSTMSHL-1122159%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fshopdiva.com%252F&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Ftampon-tax-back-coalition%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/shopdiva.com\/\" data-type=\"affiliateLink\">DIVA<\/a>\u2014to reimburse their customers for any and all state taxes they pay when purchasing their period products online or in stores.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\n<hr\/>\n<div class=\"experts-in-article noskim py-[24px] px-[40px]\">\n<p>Experts In This Article<\/p>\n<ul class=\"!ml-[18px]\">\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/mylola.com\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/mylola.com\/\">Amy Fischer<\/a>, chief executive officer of <a href=\"https:\/\/mylola.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/mylola.com\/\">LOLA<\/a>, a menstrual and reproductive care brand <\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nadyaokamoto.com\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.nadyaokamoto.com\/\">Nadya Okamoto<\/a>, menstrual equity activist and founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%3Fid%3D104860X1561639%26xs%3D1%26xcust%3DSTMSHL-1048173%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.itsaugust.co%252F&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Ftampon-tax-back-coalition%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.itsaugust.co\/\" data-type=\"affiliateLink\">August<\/a>, a sustainable period care brand <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<p>These eight period-care brands make up the new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampontaxback.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.tampontaxback.com\/\">Tampon Tax Back Coalition<\/a>, which launches on October 11, in honor of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/observances\/girl-child-day\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/observances\/girl-child-day\">International Day of the Girl<\/a>. Starting on this day, customers can simply visit <a href=\"https:\/\/tampontaxback.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/tampontaxback.com\/\">tampontaxback.com<\/a> and submit a receipt showing their purchase of a menstrual product from one of these brands as well as the sales tax they were charged, and they&#8217;ll be refunded for the tax via Venmo within two business days.<\/p>\n<p>The idea behind the coalition is as much to spare people from having to pay a tax on period-care products right now as it is to raise awareness for why these taxes should be abolished nationwide: While other medical products like contact lenses and over-the-counter medications are considered necessities and exempted from taxes in most states, menstrual items are classified as &#8220;luxury&#8221; or &#8220;nonessential&#8221; goods in the 21 states that still tax them\u2014despite the fact that having (and managing) a period is unavoidable for anyone with a uterus.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;The only reason I can suspect for why [tampons] are still being labeled as luxury or nonessential goods is because the people who made these legal decisions did not get periods themselves.&#8221; \u2014Nadya Okamoto, co-founder and CEO of August<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;The only reason I can suspect for why [tampons] are still being labeled this way is because the people who made these legal decisions did not get periods themselves,&#8221; says August&#8217;s co-founder and CEO Nadya Okamoto, who&#8217;s been advocating for menstrual equity for nearly a decade after launching the global nonprofit <a href=\"https:\/\/period.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/period.org\/\">PERIOD.<\/a> in 2014 to provide period-care essentials to those in need.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, as part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/fitness-wellness-trends\/health\/tampon-innovation\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/fitness-wellness-trends\/health\/tampon-innovation\/\">growing movement against period poverty<\/a>, 19 states have removed the sales tax from period-care products (often called the &#8220;tampon tax&#8221;), citing its discriminatory nature, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/09\/01\/well\/live\/tampon-tax-texas.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/09\/01\/well\/live\/tampon-tax-texas.html\">Texas being the latest to do so with a bill that went into effect in September<\/a>. Last year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/womens-health\/cvs-drops-price-tampons-taking-stance-pink-tax-rcna51975\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/womens-health\/cvs-drops-price-tampons-taking-stance-pink-tax-rcna51975\">CVS also dropped the price of its own menstrual products<\/a> and began absorbing the sales tax for these products in 12 states.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/tampon-tax-back-coalition\/\" current-title=\"These 8 Period-Care Brands Will Now Reimburse You for the Discriminatory \u2018Tampon Tax\u2019\" current-image=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/WG_Editorial_Tampon-Tax_feature-1_418x278_true_70.webp\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-04-11\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/tampon-tax-back-coalition\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/tampon-tax-back-coalition\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/tampon-tax-back-coalition\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>While Okamoto implemented a system in May for refunding August customers for any tax they paid when purchasing products, the new Tampon Tax Back Coalition extends the impact across competitor brands.<\/p>\n<h2>Why period inequity is a physical and mental health issue<\/h2>\n<p>To grasp what it&#8217;s like to live with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/period-poverty-how-to-help\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/period-poverty-how-to-help\/\">period poverty<\/a> and have limited access to tampons or pads, consider an apt metaphor: living without access to toilet paper for about a week every month. No matter where you are when nature calls during this week\u2014whether it be a public restroom, a friend\u2019s apartment, or your own home\u2014you have to quickly come up with a way to clean yourself without using TP. Sure, you figure out work-arounds (paper towels are a thing, after all), but the constant uncertainty of <em>when<\/em> and <em>where<\/em> you\u2019ll have to relieve yourself sans toilet paper throughout that week each month fills you with anxiety and shame.<\/p>\n<p>In this way, lacking access to period-care products can have an effect extending far beyond the physical implications of not being able to mitigate menstrual bleeding. Indeed, a 2020 survey of nearly 500 college-attending menstruators revealed a <a href=\"https:\/\/bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12905-020-01149-5#citeas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12905-020-01149-5#citeas\">link between period poverty and poor mental health<\/a>: Compared to the subjects who had never experienced period poverty, subjects who could not afford or access period-care products were more likely to exhibit signs of moderate to severe depression.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere&#8217;s a big dignity component to it,\u201d says Okamoto. \u201cImagine if you have your period [and you can&#8217;t afford period-care products]. You&#8217;re on your heaviest day of your period, and you don&#8217;t have extra underwear, you don&#8217;t have a spare pair of pants, you don&#8217;t have immediate access to a shower or a bathroom. And at the same time, you&#8217;re trying to go about your day, or for many people, you&#8217;re trying to find a job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That just goes to show how a lack of access to menstrual products can also snowball into more financial woes. \u201cThere&#8217;s a significant number of women and girls that can&#8217;t go to school or go to work to support their families because they can&#8217;t leave their house when they get their periods,\u201d says Amy Fischer, CEO of Lola. \u201cAnd that, in and of itself, is a tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Fischer, the decision to join forces with Okamoto for the Tampon Tax Back Coalition was a no-brainer. Since Lola&#8217;s launch in 2014, the organic\u00a0menstrual hygiene and sexual health brand has partnered with organizations like <a href=\"https:\/\/isupportthegirls.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/isupportthegirls.org\/\">I Support the Girls<\/a> to donate millions of period-care products to those who can\u2019t afford them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe commit a certain portion of our budget every year to be able to support these organizations because even if the tampon tax<em> is<\/em> eradicated, there will still be women who can&#8217;t afford them,\u201d says Fischer. \u201cThe goal is to make sure that everyone who needs a period-care product has access to a period-care product when they need it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both Fischer and Okamoto hope that the Tampon Tax Back Coalition inspires other menstrual industry leaders to follow suit in reimbursing their customers for unjust taxes, as well. Capitalism naturally inspires competition among similar businesses, but according to Fischer, business partnerships like these can be a valuable tool for combating social justice issues like period inequity that affect customers across an industry.<\/p>\n<div class=\"block-thin post-citations mt-[40px] mb-[30px]\" data-module-init=\"main-2020\/post-citations\" data-module-immediate=\"true\">\n<hr class=\"!border-seafoam-dark mb-[24px]\"\/>\n<div class=\"post-citations-content flex flex-col gap-[24px]\">\n<p>Well+Good articles reference scientific, reliable, recent, robust studies to back up the information we share. You can trust us along your wellness journey.<\/p>\n<div>\n<ol class=\"!ml-[18px] !mt-0\">\n<li>\n              Cardoso, Lauren F et al. \u201cPeriod poverty and mental health implications among college-aged women in the United States.\u201d\u00a0<i>BMC women\u2019s health<\/i>\u00a0vol. 21,1 14. 6 Jan. 2021, doi:10.1186\/s12905-020-01149-5            <\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"!border-seafoam-dark mt-[24px]\"\/>\n  <\/div>\n<div class=\"disclaimers__after_content mb-[18px] mt-[16px] pt-[16px]\">\n<div class=\"outline-earmark relative mt-[8px] pt-[10px] pl-[20px]\">\n<p>\n            Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission.          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the more than 11 million people in this country who face period poverty, being able to afford necessary menstrual hygiene products like tampons, pads, or panty liners every month is tough enough, as is. But the addition of sales tax still levied by 21 states on such period-care necessities only adds insult to injury. &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}