{"id":41748,"date":"2022-03-11T12:38:37","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T19:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/new-mexico-gets-rid-of-the-tampon-tax\/"},"modified":"2022-03-11T19:38:37","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T19:38:37","slug":"new-mexico-gets-rid-of-the-tampon-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/new-mexico-gets-rid-of-the-tampon-tax\/","title":{"rendered":"New Mexico gets rid of the \u2018tampon tax\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"(Adobe
(Adobe Stock)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

People in New Mexico will no longer have to pay taxes on menstrual pads, tampons and cups as of July 1 \u2013 a victory for advocates who\u2019ve been working on the issue for years.<\/p>\n

A provision <\/a>to allow for a deduction on retailers\u2019 gross receipts taxes was included in the omnibus tax reform bill that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

People who menstruate will no longer have to pay a tax on a health necessity, said Rep. Christine Trujillo, D-Albuquerque, who has sponsored measures on this issue during previous legislative sessions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few pennies less does make a difference,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark said she worked on the issue as an advocate while she was in college and then again as a member of the Santa Fe Young Democrats in 2015. She worked with former Republican Sen. Lisa Torraco to draft an early version of New Mexico\u2019s legislation that never was formally introduced, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is if the menstrual cycle is 28 days, and the bleeding portion is 7, then roughly one quarter of women ages 12-50 are bleeding at any given time,\u201d Clark said. \u201cYet we don\u2019t make it an automatic benefit, and even taxed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Preventing health emergencies<\/h4>\n

In addition to helping people in poverty and preserving dignity, advocates say improving access to menstrual products can prevent serious health concerns. Toxic shock syndrome is a rare but life-threatening infection that can result from using a single tampon for too long. When people can\u2019t access or afford enough menstruation supplies, sometimes they try to make them last beyond their suggested use or invent alternatives that are dangerous and can lead to infection. Amanda Lokke, a fourth-year medical student at the University of New Mexico, testified during a legislative committee hearing on Aug. 17 that in extreme circumstances, toxic shock syndrome can lead to sepsis and become fatal.\u201cIf there is no early intervention, blood pressure can fall dangerously low and result in inadequate blood supply to body tissues, which will then lead to organ failure, including kidney, liver, heart and lung failure,\u201d she said. At this stage, \u201cthere\u2019s a hospitalization rate of 98%, and a large portion of these cases will end in death.\u201dOther nonfatal but potentially serious health problems associated with inadequate menstrual hygiene are yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, rashes, urinary tract infections and others that can be harmful, embarrassing and stigmatizing, Lokke said. They can also lead to chronic obstetric and gynecological health complications.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

An earlier version of the bill met with opposition because, Clark said, the version also included removing the tax from diapers \u2013 a cost she says also disproportionately burdens women \u2013 and \u201cwould have taken $3 million out of the general fund in a lean year,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Clark recalled thinking even at the time that \u201cwomen being treated unfairly should not be the way we balance the budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rep. Antonio \u201cMoe\u201d Maestas, D-Albuquerque, was previously opposed to the carve-out for menstrual products in the tax code because of the number of \u201cswiss cheese\u201d holes that already exist. He continues to caution that the legislation may not achieve the goal the sponsor and advocates were after.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimilar to food in a grocery store, the company can ratchet up the price to make up the difference,\u201d Maestas said.<\/p>\n

Despite the potential loopholes, Trujillo said the change is a good first step. But, she added, her work is not yet done.<\/p>\n

Trujillo said she hopes that schools and women\u2019s prisons will also start providing these necessities without restrictions and that she\u2019s interested in working with congressional leaders to see if there is a way to expand EBT benefits to include hygiene products.<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly the goal would be to make them free for all, but that would be in the future,\u201d Trujillo said.<\/p>\n

To read more stories from Source NM, visit www.sourcenm.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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