Utah's tampon tax lives on while other states ban it

Utah is in a shrinking minority of states that still tax menstrual products, with a dozen states now considering a halt to the sex-specific revenue stream.

• 23 states already banned sales tax on period products, and five others don't have a sales tax, Axios' Kelly Tyko reports.

By the numbers: The average cost of menstrual products is about $20 per monthly cycle and adds up to about $18,000 over the average woman's lifetime, the National Organization for Women estimated in 2021.

• One in four people in the U.S. who need period products can't afford them, according to the nonprofit Alliance for Period Supplies.
• Tampon prices rose in the first half of 2022 by nearly 10% and pads by more than 8%, a NielsenIQ report found.

Catch up quick: Utah lawmakers voted in 2019 to exempt menstrual supplies from sales tax.

• But the measure was part of a larger tax reform package which was quickly repealed after public outcry because it also raised the sales tax on groceries while lowering income tax rates.
• Bills to eliminate the tampon tax have repeatedly been shot down by mostly and all-male legislative committees.

Yes, but: Gov. Spencer Cox last week announced an order to make period supplies available free of charge in state buildings.

• Meanwhile, Utah's public schools are required to stock free menstrual products in bathrooms after students spoke publicly about bleeding through their clothing and missing class.
• Salt Lake City has stocked period products in women's restrooms in city-run facilities since 2019.