Ax the Pink Tax: New bill overwhelmingly passes Ohio House

We can say “peace out” to the “pink tax” as it applies to feminine hygiene products under legislation overwhelmingly passed by the Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday.

House Bill 545, that would eliminate state sales tax on feminine products including , passed with a vote of 84-1.

Tampons, panty liners, menstrual cups, sanitary napkins, and similar products would all become sales tax-free.

The legislation will now move on to the Ohio Senate.

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In Ohio, hygiene products are generally already exempt from sales tax, but that exemption does not currently include feminine hygiene products.

An estimated $78.6 million will be spent this year in Ohio on feminine hygiene products, according to a legislative analysis, per Cleveland.com.

The average woman will spend over $11,000 on tampons during her lifetime, $632 of that on state sales tax alone.

If House Bill 545 becomes law, Ohio would miss out on about $4.5 million in sales tax revenue per year, according to the analysis.

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