Those of us who bleed, join me in rejoicing over the fact that the Tampon Tax is incredibly close to being removed from sanitary items, after a unanimous decision across Australia‘s state and federal governments. Thank Christ they’ve finally agreed on something.
After years of campaigning and pressure on ministers across the country’s states and territories, the Goods & Services Tax (GST) that is applied to items used for menstruation (like pads, tampons, cups, and liners) is looking to be removed – meaning that consumers will no longer have to pay the 10% tax on these items that were seen as a ‘luxury’. (Let me tell you there’s absolutely nothing luxurious about having horrible cramps and having to stock up on Napisan in preparation for your monthly bleed. Nothing luxe about that at all.)
After previously announcing that the Federal Government would be once again pushing to have the exemption made around sanitary products, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying that the GST on these items is an “an anomaly that has been built into the system for a long time“, the country’s treasurers voted unanimously to have the system changed and the tampon tax to be no more.
Now that everyone’s in agreement that essential items should absolutely not be taxed to buggery, it’s predicted that the removal of GST from sanitary products will be fully rolled out by January 2019.
Next step is to have the bloody things given out for free to those who bleed, in the same way that condoms are literally thrown at uni students every O Week.
