26-02-2025
Activists call on Kansas lawmakers to provide sales tax relief for period products
From left, Caitlyn Hammack, the Kansas leader of equity organization URGE, and Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, a Wichita Democrat, appear on Feb. 26, 2025, at a period day of action in Topeka to promote a bill that would exempt period products from sales taxes. (Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector)
TOPEKA — A person spends on average about $2,000 on menstrual products in their lifetime, and Kansas activists say part of that price tag could be reduced by eliminating sales tax on those products.
At a period day of action Wednesday at the Kansas Statehouse, students and legislators convened to advocate in favor of Senate Bill 107, which would exempt disposable and reusable period products, diapers and incontinence products from the state's 6.5% sales tax and local sales tax collections.
The bill hasn't received a hearing this session despite bipartisan support for similar bills proposed in recent years. State budget officials estimated the tax exemption would decrease state revenue by $8 million in fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1, when the exemption would go into effect. Officials were not able to calculate the impact on local sales tax revenues.
Caitlyn Hammack is the statewide organizer for URGE, Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, which is active on five college campuses across Kansas helping students access period products and reduce the stigma surrounding discussions about periods.
Hammack led the Wednesday event, which included shiny red tablecloths, attendees wearing red clothing and stickers that read 'Go with the flow!' She said the bill fits the session's predominant focus: tax relief for everyday Kansans.
Hammack said she wrote the bill, modeling it after similar legislation in red and purple states, including Texas, which eliminated its 'tampon tax' in 2023. Wichita Democratic Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau introduced it on Jan. 29.
Faust-Goudeau pointed out the struggle among Kansans to afford basic needs, including those who receive food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which can't be used to purchase hygiene products.
Rep. Alexis Simmons, a Topeka Democrat and a supporter of the bill, told those gathered to 'make a big deal about what you're doing.'
'How often do we hear someone talking about the price of eggs?' Simmons said. 'But why is nobody talking about something that directly affects 50% of the population?'
The bill was assigned to the Senate tax committee, where a hearing has not been scheduled.
