‘So the pink tax’: Indiana women have had enough after discovering tampons were taxed at 7%, while KitKats got a free pass

Women and girls across the state of Indiana are currently fighting back against the 7% sales tax they are facing on all period products, including pads and tampons. After airing a report on the same, the news outlets WDRB and WAVE uploaded a clip onto their TikTok profile, which then kicked up a huge conversation. 

In the video, the reporter says, “Indiana is one of 18 states that still taxes period products. Civic Engagement Organization Mad Voters is trying to change that in the Hoosier state. Leaders with the organization say one in four women and girls in Indiana say it’s hard to afford period products. And items like pudding, popsicles, and Kit Kats are tax-free in the state, which is why they created a petition. The organizers say they already have hundreds of signatures but need more so they can take it to state legislators and demand change.”

In the comments, one user called it what it was: “So the pink tax.” Many women were in the comments, expressing their frustration with the costs of their period products. One person wrote, “The $4 or $5 for a box of tampons is bad enough….but tax on top of that?!?!” Another user added, “I hope it passes but I don’t have much faith in our state doing anything decent and sensible.”

The people who don’t get it

Where it got interesting is the pushback that came from many men in the comments section. Many argued that it literally is just sales tax, which applies to everything. One user questioned, “TP isn’t tax free. Bandaids and washes isn’t tax free. Men hygiene isn’t tax free. So why would this be different?” Another commenter echoed them, “Right a sales tax like any other product like wtf we doing.” 

Others called out the women who argued that period products need to be free. One TikToker wrote, “there should be a break yes but nothings free.” Another got cynical when they noted, “The amount of people saying they should be free is crazy. OK, my blood pressure medication, dental, and eye care should be free.” If you need to know how disconnected some men are, a Walgreens customer recently freaked out when he had to wait in the period aisle

According to WDRB, the legislative effort in play is very serious. Kaitie Rector, the director of advocacy for Mad Voters, explained the frustration behind the disparity in maintaining a tax for something like pads but waiving it for chocolate. 

“It’s frustrating when other things are tax exempt that these items are not. These are not luxury products, these are necessities that women need to go to school, to go to work,” she said. Strangely enough, w woman was recently shocked to find out that Aldi requires an ID check to buy tampons. 

The organization has been reportedly working on this issue for several years. Last year, they managed to get tax-free period products included in the budget, but state lawmakers removed the provision at the end of the legislative session. Now, they are collecting signatures for a petition to bring the issue back to state legislators. 

“Just to send a message to legislators in Indiana how much we do care about this and how much this is an economic issue, it’s a healthcare issue, it’s an equity issue,” Rector noted to WDRB. She added that the goal is to drum up support so that when the session begins in January, the legislation can be put forth. If a standalone bill fails, they plan to attempt to amend an existing bill so that period products become tax-free by 2027.

According to the petition, the state of Indiana collects $5.6 million in sales tax from period products, which reportedly accounts for only 0.01% of the total state budget. “The state of Indiana will do fine without taxing period products, but for Hoosiers, it makes it a little more affordable,” Rector said. “We don’t need to profit off of periods.”

This issue is part of a broader conversation surrounding the “pink tax,” a term often used to describe gender-based pricing discrepancies. According to Chase Bank, the pink tax can refer to instances where products marketed to women, such as razors, cost more than similar items marketed to men, or to the specific sales tax imposed on menstrual products. While some states and companies have made strides to reduce these disparities, the practice remains prevalent. 

Chase Bank noted that research from the 1990s and various studies in the 2010s have highlighted how these costs add up over time. While some recent research suggests that price differences in personal care products can sometimes be attributed to manufacturing costs or ingredients, the tax treatment of these items remains a significant point of contention.