Did you know that women across the country are paying luxury taxes on necessary feminine hygiene items such as tampons and pads? 

This is true – and in the state of Tennessee, tampons are taxes as a luxury item. However, you can ask any woman who has a menstrual cycle and she will tell you that this is simply unacceptable. Tampons, pads, panty liners, and other feminine hygiene products are a necessary part of public life and allow women to function normally during their period. Even President Obama thinks this tax is ridiculous. (1)

Having a period is already expensive enough. Women spend more than $70 a year on sanitary products. The financial burden of menstruating is made even worse by the taxes imposed by 40 states across the country. (2)

Shockingly, there are similar products exempt from taxes in the state of Tennessee, including insulin, disposable medical supplies, and diabetic testing supplies, which are just as necessary to some as feminine products are to menstruating women. Also included in tax exemptions are guns sold at gun sales, which are not nearly as necessary as feminine products. (3)

Change is possible. During the summer of 2015, Canada made history when it abolished its tampon tax with a unanimous vote. Across the world, women are starting campaigns to get taxes removed in the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Malaysia, and all over the United States. (4)

We ask that you sign this petition and share with your friends so that women across the state can be liberated from this unjust tax. Abolishing the Tampon Tax would be the fair and honest thing to do. 

(1) http://time.com/4183108/obama-tampon-tax-sanitary/

(2) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/18/period-cost-lifetime_n_7258780.html

(3) https://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/revenue/attachments/salesanduse.pdf

(4) http://www.upworthy.com/the-tampon-tax-is-real-these-are-the-40-states-taxing-periods

ACTIVE CAMPAIGNS: 

• Australia: http://goo.gl/AcHaza
• France: http://goo.gl/vp8v6M
• Germany: https://goo.gl/AOZdVM
• Malaysia: http://goo.gl/50BRJs
• UK: https://www.change.org/p/george-osborne-stop-taxing-periods-period
• United States: https://www.change.org/p/u-s-state-legislators-stop-taxing-our-periods-period

SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNS:

• Canada: https://www.change.org/p/no-tax-on-tampons-a-campaign-to-remove-the-gst-charged-on-menstruation-products-sign-the-petition