By: Savannah Smith | 10-03-2018 | News
Photo credit: Mashable

Australia - ‘Tampon Tax' Scrapped After 18-year Fight

Good news for teens, young ladies and women in Australia as the country is poised to remove a controversial tax on female sanitary products after years of fervent campaigning by women’s groups.

Sanitary products are categorized as “non-essential items” and as such sanitary pads and tampons are sold with a 10% goods and services tax (GST) or otherwise known as “tampon tax.”

Advocates for the removal of such tax imposed on sanitary products have long argued that the classification is unfair considering that items as condoms and sunscreen are exempt from GST.

All that’s set to change as federal and state governments came to an agreement on Wednesday to remove the contentious levy. Minister for Women Kelly O’ Dwyer told local media that the change is such a welcome development. She added: “Millions of women right across the nation will be very thankful for it.”

The tampon tax was first imposed in 2000. There has been intense lobbying for its removal for years, with campaigners and advocates calling the measure “unjust” and “discriminatory.” A petition against the said tax was signed by as many as 90,000 people in 2015. Enthusiastic campaigners even produced a rap video for the said advocacy.

No date has been announced yet as to when the tax removal will take effect. The tampon tax removal won’t come cheap for state governments, however, as estimates say governments are set to lose $30 million a year.

In the U.S., a tampon tax still reigns.

Australian women celebrate their “victory” following the tampon tax removal announcement all over social media.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">About bloody time … <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tampontax?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tampontax</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://t.co/yoMCvSh0uP">https://t.co/yoMCvSh0uP</a></p>&mdash; caroline pegram (@caroline_pegram) <a href="https://twitter.com/caroline_pegram/status/1047315815094050816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2018</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Finally an end to this most ridiculous tax ever - the tax on sanitary products for women and girls.<br>Congratulations to everyone who campaigned and a big thankyou to these two local tampons Matilda and Sophia.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tampontax?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tampontax</a> <a href="https://t.co/eKUS5y4Syo">pic.twitter.com/eKUS5y4Syo</a></p>&mdash; Yvette Berry MLA 🍓 (@YvetteSBerry) <a href="https://twitter.com/YvetteSBerry/status/1047309633222668288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2018</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pretty bloody pleased about the removal of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tampontax?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tampontax</a> because tampons and pads are pretty far away from luxury items. Having a period is not a particularly ~luxurious~ time, and to be taxed on it is just dumb. <a href="https://t.co/NhWmpLuu57">pic.twitter.com/NhWmpLuu57</a></p>&mdash; Kassi Klower (@kassi_klower) <a href="https://twitter.com/kassi_klower/status/1047324937709445123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2018</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tampon Tax is abolished- a win for Australian women <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tampontax?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tampontax</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a></p>&mdash; MissOkey (@MissOkeyy) <a href="https://twitter.com/MissOkeyy/status/1047292148897308673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2018</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After 18 years of profiting off the backs of women to the tune of around 2.6 billion dollars finally the &#39;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tampontax?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tampontax</a>&#39; is dead. Now to refocus efforts on other sexist taxes like the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/breastfeedingtax?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#breastfeedingtax</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/WomenElectionOz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WomenElectionOz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://t.co/VNkjKfixE5">https://t.co/VNkjKfixE5</a></p>&mdash; Kate Ferris (@kferris01) <a href="https://twitter.com/kferris01/status/1047310610826842112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2018</a></blockquote>

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Source:

https://mashable.com/article/australia-scraps-tampon-tax/?europe=true

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-45727980

Twitter: #MAGA #KAG #Australia #TamponTax #VictoryforWomen

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