Pink Tax Argumentative Essay

“I don’t know anyone who has a period that thinks of it as a luxury,” states Youtuber Ingrid Nilsen during an interview with president Obama. Most women would agree with this statement, yet it has recently become a controversial issue in the world of paying taxes. Menstrual products are taxed as a luxury item, which has women advocating for the removal of the nicknamed “pink tax”. This pink tax perpetuates an unjust taxation on medical products necessary for the public health and dignity of American women. First, there must be clarification as to what the pink tax is to understand why menstrual products are subject to a sales tax. Almost every purchasable good has a sales tax, but some specific goods deemed as necessities and are exempt from this tax. (Hawkins) Ideally, all goods would have sales tax without regards to whether

A common argument from people opposed to the removal of sales tax on menstrual products is that if pads and tampons can be considered medical items, then items like band-aids and toilet paper ought to be considered medical too. They may argue that menstrual products are comparable to items like these, but menstrual products are goods unique in themselves and serve a specific purpose that cannot be replaced by something else. Band-aids can be replaced with other forms of bandages, but there exists no replacement item for pads and tampons. Additionally, toilet paper is easily accessible everywhere and free in public places, while menstrual products are not. (Weiss-Wolf) It’s easy to argue that because most products, like food, also hold a sales tax, that menstrual products aren’t special enough to be exempt. However, menstrual products are a specific and distinct necessity that cannot be replaced by any other