Students meet with lawmakers advocating to remove feminine hygiene products sales tax
Currently Kentucky has a 6% sales tax on feminine hygiene products
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) — One of the most essential items for women during their lifetime is feminine hygiene products, and right now, there’s a 6% sales tax on them.
“It’s almost like they don’t care about the fact that we’re spending thousands and thousands of dollars over our lifetime on products that we have to have,” said Shelby Vikre, a student at Mercy Academy in Louisville.
Students of Mercy Academy met with State Representative Lisa Willner on Wednesday, in an effort to continue advocating for the removal of the sales tax on feminine hygiene products, “what they’re feeling, what they’re believing, what they’re sensing from their research is that because this is the girls issue, because it’s a woman’s issue, it’s been marginalized.That’s a very dangerous message for us to be sending to our young girls and our young women.”
“Getting rid of this tax will benefit women, help them get along, and instead of having to worry about buying essential products every month, they can focus some of that money more on housing and more on food and clothing and diapers and other necessities,” added Vikre.
On Tuesday, Representative Willner filed house bill 142 alongside another state representative, the bill aims to remove the six-percent sales tax on feminine hygiene products like tampons, pads, menstrual cups and other products.
“We know we don’t have a sales tax on medicine. We don’t have a sales tax on food. This is a necessity, period products are not a luxury item for girls and women, they’re and absolute necessity,” added Rep. Willner.
According to a legislative fiscal note on a similar bill in 2022, the cost of savings on the bipartisan legislation would be over two-million dollars annually if applied.
“Just hope that some of the legislators will be able to look through a woman’s perspective because I know a lot of them don’t understand exactly why we need these products and I hope they can open their minds up to why we’re so passionate about this topic,” said Vikre.
The removal of the sales tax on feminine hygiene products would add Kentucky to a list of 24 states without one..
“If I had a legislator in here, I would just ask them for their vote. But not only for me, but for every woman out there, every person on their period who one day could do something great,” added Abigail Newkirk, a student at Mercy Academy.
