Tax on tampons sexist, bill argues

Canada’s tax on menstrual products is inherently sexist, according to a new campaign that seeks to resurrect a bid to win an exemption.

The No Tax on Tampons campaign is galvanizing support for an NDP private member’s bill that’s been more than 10 years in the making.

“Menstrual products are not something we can choose to use or not use,” said campaign leader Jill Piebiak.

“To live a normal public life in our society we have to buy these products every single month. It’s an unfair tax burden on people because of their biological characteristics.”

So far she has the support of 45,000 other Canadians who have signed an online petition.

It’s not the first time the debate has come up in Canada. In 2004, NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis tried to eliminate GST on products such as pads and tampons.

More recently London-Fanshawe NDP MP Irene Mathyssen has raised private member’s bills on the topic once in 2011 and again in 2013.

The anti-tax campaign is hoping to gain attention for the issue so that Mathyssen’s Bill C-282 can be debated before Parliament dissolves for the 2015 election.

The petition compares menstrual products to non-taxed medical items such as contact lenses and incontinence products.

Other tax-exempt items in the country include cocktail cherries and wedding cakes, although essential products such as toilet paper and toothpaste are still taxable.

“Toilet paper knows no gender bias,” Mathyssen said. “That’s at the root of the disgruntlement around feminine hygiene products.”

Mathyssen’s bill would remove the tax on all products used to deal with menstruation, including tampons and pads and less-common methods such as reusable cups and fabric liners.

“I’ve been really encouraged by the petition campaign and by the fact that women are getting on board and saying if they can address this in the U.K. and Australia, then we can address it here,” Mathyssen said.

“It’s a gender-based tax, it’s discriminatory, and it’s important to women in general.”

Last year Canadian women spent about $520 million on menstrual products Statistics Canada reports. From that number, the Canadian government earned about $36.3 million in taxes.

“It might seem like a small thing, but if you’re already being burdened with financial barriers, it’s just another 50 cents at the till that you have to pay out front that makes life challenging for women and people in trans communities,” Piebiak said.

“This tax is discriminatory, so it’s almost a symbolic gesture to realize that that’s happening,” she said.