Arkansas State Representative Aaron Pilkington (R-Knoxville) is the lead sponsor of a bill (here) to repeal the Arkansas state sales tax on menstrual products. The bill's other primary sponsor is Senator Breanne Davis (R-Davis). The bill has bipartisan co-sponsorship from Representatives Austin McCollum (R-Bentonville), Carlton Wing (R-North Little Rock), Denise Jones Ennett (D-Little Rock), and Sen. Trent Garner (R-El Dorado). The basic rationale is that a tax on necessities like tampons and pads is unfair. Prescription drugs, like Viagra, are tax-exempt in Arkansas. So are sales of baby chickens, aircraft made in Arkansas, and newspapers.
Since 2016, several other states, including New York, Florida, Illinois, Connecticut, California, Rhode Island, Nevada, Utah and Washington have eliminated their state sales taxes on menstrual products. Canada, Colombia, India, Malaysia, Australia and Britain have eliminated their corresponding taxes. Professor Emily Waldman and I have argued (here) that sales taxes on menstrual products is unconstitutional. Presently, there is a class action lawsuit in Michigan challenging the tax as a form of gender discrimination (info here). The legal advocacy organization Period Equity, whose lawyers are involved in the Michigan litigation, have been raising awareness and pressing states that have still have it to repeal the "tampon tax."
But in Arkansas? State Senator Bob Ballinger replied to Representative Pilkington's tweet about the bill by saying, "We're killing this you sissy." So much for principled debate about tax issues. All eyes on Arkansas now, to see whether it will join the growing number of states that have stopped taxing periods.
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