No more city sales tax on menstrual products — period. The Coloradoan reported that on Tuesday, October 6, Fort Collins City Council voted unanimously to eliminate its tax on things like tampons, panty liners, pads and more, in an effort to reach gender equality. 

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Girl talk: Periods suck enough as it is, but on top of that, they are pricey. We spend dozens of dollars per cycle (every month) on something that we don't even enjoy. But, this isn't just me going off on a tangent. 'Period poverty' is actually a thing.

Earlier this year, Marie Claire published an article called 'The Current State of the Tampon Tax—and How We're Going to Eliminate It.' While a handful of states, mostly on the West Coast and the Northeast (like California, Washington, Oregon, New York and Pennsylvania) have already eliminated 'tampon tax' on a state level, most of the Midwest and Great Plains have not, including Colorado.

Side note: Did you know Tampons were invented by a man in Colorado? The Atlantic said, 'As Tampax tells it, a Colorado-based general practitioner named Earle Cleveland Haas introduced the first commercial applicator tampon.' Before that, women were sticking a piece of sponge up there, which I personally do not want to think about. 

Natracare on Unsplash
Natracare on Unsplash
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Denver actually managed to pull a few strings and eliminated its city tax on menstrual products back in 2017. 'The city of Denver has eliminated the tampon tax, but a similar measure in the state legislature was postponed indefinitely in 2017,' Marie Claire's article said, noting that in the U.S., women (and only women) spend $150 million on menstrual products annually.

'Since 2016, 10 states, along with Chicago, Denver, and Washington, D.C., have eliminated the tax by passing laws, reconciling budgets, and even launching a citizen-led ballot measure,' - Marie Claire.

According to the State of Colorado, a bill was introduced in 2017 to create 'a state sales tax exemption, commencing January 1, 2018, for all sales, storage, and use of feminine hygiene products,' but it lost.

The Coloradoan said that the tax exemption on menstrual products will go into effect in Fort Collins by mid-December, so Merry Christmas, ladies. You can read more about Fort Collins' ruling here.

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