Michigan’s Tampon Tax: To Be Or Not To Be

Do we not have bigger problems than this or is it just a completely political move?

The burning issue of the day for some Democrats is whether Michigan should apply its sales tax to the sale of tampons, pads and other menstrual products.  Not to say that it is not something that should be discussed but is this the kind of issue and bills that you bring up first in this legislative session.

Many might already know but most medically necessary items are exempt from Michigan’s 6% sales and use tax but tampons, pads and other menstrual products are not. Now Mlive is informing us that Democratic state Representatives. Brian Elder, D-Bay City, and Tenisha Yancey, D-Harper Woods want to change that.

Representative Yancy was quoted saying:

Women already face economic disparities in their paycheck every payday; there is no reason we should also be forced to pay this additional tax for taking care of our reproductive health…It is time for Michigan to remove this unnecessary financial burden once and for all.

By the way she is not telling you the truth about women and their paychecks but that is for another day.

Democratic state Representatives Elder and Tenisha Yancey released a statement about their bill in which they said:

Michigan already exempts other necessities like food, medicine, certain medical equipment and even newspapers from the sales tax…There is no reason we cannot provide this economic relief, as well.

Fine you can but please let us know how you intend to replace the $5 million dollars in taxes that go to the state’s General Fund, State School Aid Fund and revenue sharing to local governments.  They want to take money away form education for this, I thought education in Michigan is underfunded.

Well in their statement announcing the Tampon legislation, Representative Elder and Yancey said their bills to end the tampon tax would “hold the School Aid Fund harmless from any loss of revenue.”

How exactly will you do that?  I believe the statement would have been a nice place to inform us of how they intend to do that.  Politicians talk a lot and most times do not back up their words with action.

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