Proposed WA Bill Would Tax Exempt Feminine Hygiene Products

It's probably one of the more unusual proposals seen coming out of Olympia in years.

Every legislative session, different issues, problems and situations are addressed by legislators in the State House and Senate, sometimes bills are introduced because elected officials hear from their constituents about situations that need addressing.

Senate Bill 5093 is probably the most unusual one we've seen in years. Sponsored by five West side leaders, the bill would make what they refer to as feminine hygiene products exempt from the state sales and use tax. As for what these are defined by the legislature, it's pretty much the same as what we think of when that term is used.

The proposed bill contains the following paragraph, which pretty much sums up the very short and concise piece of legislation:

The legislature finds that feminine hygiene products are a necessity for most females in the state.  Taxing a necessary feminine hygiene product unjustly adds an additional tax burden on females that creates a tax gap between genders, requiring females to potentially pay more of their income to state taxes. The legislature further finds that taxing feminine hygiene products adds to the regressive tax burden on low-income

families.