Gov. Greg Abbott signaled support for a yearslong call by women's health care advocates to remove taxes on menstrual products like like tampons, sanitary pads and pantyliners
If next session's legislation reaches Abbott's desk, he would support eliminating the tax.
“Governor Abbott fully supports exempting feminine hygiene products from state and local sales tax,” Renae Eze, a spokesperson for the governor, told The Texas Tribune in a statement on Friday. “These are essential products for women’s health and quality of life, and the Governor looks forward to working with the legislature in the next session to remove this tax burden on Texas women.
Hegar pointed to Texas’ strong economy and state revenues in explaining his support for the tax repeal. Given increasing prices and inflation, Hegar said the opportunity to exempt these products from taxation is a critical need for Texans. “Texas can absorb this lost revenue easily, but for countless Texas women, this will mean significant savings in their personal budgets over time,” Hegar said in a press release. “This is a small amount of money relative to the overall revenue outlook for Texas.”Hegar’s latest revenue estimate for the next two years, beginning mid-July, projects Texas will generate $27 billion. The sales tax revenue on menstrual supplies over the next two years would represent about 0.1% of that amount.
In Texas and across the country, institutions are working to improve greater access to menstrual products. Over the summer, the Austin Independent School DistrictCorrection: A version of the bill to end taxes on some menstrual products cleared a committee in 2021 but never made it to the governor's desk., happening Sept. 22-24 in Austin.
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