CVS customers may soon see a price reduction in the store's menstrual products and may no longer have to pay taxes on those items.
The chain has committed to dropping its prices by 25 percent on CVS Health and Live Better tampons, menstrual pads, liners, and cups beginning Thursday (October 13), CNN reports.
Last week, CVS also began covering the cost of sales taxes on period products in a dozen states, including Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. The company said it couldn't cover the tax in other states due to laws that prohibit third parties from paying taxes on the consumer's behalf.
The price slash is a part of a bigger effort to close the gap between the cost of women's and men's personal health items and eliminate the sales tax on feminine hygiene products, a phenomenon widely known as the "tampon tax."
“Too often period products are taxed as luxury items and not recognized as basic necessities,” said the Alliance for Period Supplies, an advocacy organization working to expand access to menstrual supplies. “Period products are taxed at a similar rate to items like decor, electronics, makeup, and toys.”
Menstrual products typically serve as an added expense for women, and prices are continuing to increase.
The cost of tampons has risen by over 12 percent at retail stores for the year ending October 2, according to data from market research firm IRI.
Dr. Padmini Murthy, the global health lead for the American Medical Women’s Association, applauded CVS for reducing the price of its store-branded items but said the company should slash the prices on all of the menstrual products it sells.
“This move will highlight their commitment to addressing women’s health and pave the way for reducing menstrual inequity,” Murthy said in an email to CNN, “and not just to promote the use of CVS products.”
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