Gender ‘Injustice’ Behind Call to Reduce Taxes on Tampons: New at Reason

Democrats in California are looking to cover a reduction in sales taxes on baby diapers and feminine products with a tax hike on hard liquor.

Steven Greenhut writes:

In his veto message of a series of tax-reduction bills last September, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) explained that “tax breaks are the same as new spending—they both cost the general fund money.” He said such measures should be on the table during budget negotiations, “so that all spending proposals are weighed against each other at the same time.”

Among the bills that were vetoed at that time were two that would have repealed sales taxes on diapers and tampons. Both measures passed unanimously, but the governor wanted to assure that new spending-related measures didn’t lead to deficits. So the authors of those two measures are back again this year—but this time they are addressing the revenue issue.

The Common Cents Tax Reform Act, Assembly Bill 479, would “exempt diapers, tampons, pads and other basic necessities from California’s sales tax,” according to a statement last week from its authors. The February version of the bill would have exempted sales taxes from the sale, storage and use of various physician-prescribed medicines, but was amended to target diapers and feminine products.

To deal with the governor’s concerns, its co-authors (Assembly members Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, and Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego) want to raise taxes to offset the tax cut. The bill would increase the excise tax by $1.20 per gallon on hard liquor that is 100 proof and and by $2.40 a gallon for liquors that are more than 100 proof.

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