Why Do Several States Still Overburden Women for Getting Their Periods?

Imagine your child gets pushed on the playground. The mishap results in a deep cut with blood gushing out of it. You rush to the pharmacy to buy first aid, but when you try to pay, you realize that the cost is not only expensive, but that you also have to pay the state’s sales tax on top of the price for the kit. When you ask about the tax, you’re told that first aid isn’t considered a “necessity of life” and therefore, taxed at the same rate as a regular retail product or luxury good. Outrage courses through you. How can the government say that first aid is not a “necessity of life,” when your child is hurting through no fault of their own?

Luckily, in reality, items like first aid, medication, and even some groceries are often exempt from sales taxes because they are deemed “essential.” However, the one type of necessity that doesn’t always fall under this exemption is a period product—several states still consider them items of luxury and therefore subject these products to taxation. As of March 20, 2026, 18 states still tax period products, including Mississippi, North Carolina, and Arizona. In Mississippi, menstrual products are taxed at a rate of 7%, the highest out of all the states. This unfair burden on essential feminine hygiene goods is such a frustrating reality for many menstruating women that it has its own colloquial name: the tampon tax. 

The National Organization for Women estimates that the average woman spends about 18,000 dollars on menstrual products in her lifetime. When adding Mississippi’s 7% state tax, that number climbs to 19,300 dollars—1,300 of which a woman could’ve used to get other essential items, save for retirement, or even buy the newest Apple iPhone. To further highlight this inequity: the average income for one person in Mississippi is $52,000 a year. Mississippi is the poorest state in the nation, yet it forces its residents to pay the highest tampon tax in America.

So, who benefits from the extra taxation? Proponents of the tampon tax claim that by getting rid of it, we’d be losing out on millions of dollars. Admittedly, it’s true that California, lost about $55 million in tax revenue for the state government when it eliminated the tampon tax. But compared to California’s annual state budget, which was $355.9 billion for the fiscal year from 2026 to 2027, the money received from the tampon tax is barely a drop in the bucket. The cost of eliminating the tampon tax is negligible compared to the unfair burden it places on women.  

On average, women in the workforce are still paid less than men. Pew Research Center found that, as of last year, for every dollar men make, women in America make only 85 cents. Despite many corporations publicly emphasizing how much they value gender equality, these numbers suggest they actually don’t. If they did, then they would not be paying us less to do the same kind of work, on top of the documented higher levels of microaggressions that women still face in the workplace day after day. Something as small as a tampon tax may seem insignificant at first glance, but when one pairs it with all the other sex-based inequities, we can see that this financial burden does really make a big difference. 

But the hypocrisy goes beyond the corporate sector. To all legislators: You can’t say you value women but inconvenience us every single month when we go to buy tampons or period pads. You can’t say you value women but treat us like our essential needs are luxury goods. You can’t say you value women and support the tampon tax. As legislators, your job is to represent the people of Mississippi, Arizona, or North Carolina, and act in their best interest. Well, right now, all menstruating women among your constituents are having to pay a luxury tax on a basic necessity. You have the chance to reduce this inequality by eliminating the tampon tax. If other states can do it, why can’t you? 

As a woman myself, there have been so many times where I’ve been told that “my voice matters” and that “everyone should be treated equally” and that “women are just as powerful as men.” While the words are nice, they are just that—words. In order to feel true equity and equality, we must put these ideals into action. While I am lucky enough to live in California, where the tampon tax has been eradicated, many other women around the nation are still suffering due to this unfair taxation. So, to the legislators of the 18 states that still decide to tax menstrual products, I hope you follow in California and the other 31 states’ footsteps, and eradicate this sexist tax.

Eva Mathur is a sophomore at Menlo School.