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Legislators vote to remove “Pink Tax

Governor Bruce Rauner will soon decide whether to approve or veto a plan that will make feminine hygiene products and contraception more affordable for women.

Often seen as a luxury instead of a necessity, the plan would make tampons, menstrual cups, sanitary napkins, and other feminine hygiene products exempt from the state sales tax. The average statewide sales tax in Illinois is 6.25 percent, but can reach as high as 10.25 percent in Chicago.

The measure was approved near the end of May by the members of the Illinois House with a vote of 61-52, and by the Senate with a vote of 59-0. Local legislators; Senator Gary Forby, and Representatives John Bradley (D-117) and Brandon Phelps (D-118) voted in favor of the bill. "Everybody needs a break, including women," Forby said. "This was a way to show women we're thinking of them." Bradley was unavailable for comment.

Many supporters of the plan call the "Pink Tax" discriminatory against women. State Representative Brandon Phelps supported the measure, saying, "The state has been making a lot of money off of women, and it's not fair." Phelps called for the bill to be approved as a way to help single mothers in Southern Illinois, who are "Struggling to make ends meet for their families," also calling the bill "The right thing to do" and "Just a way for the state to take more money from women in Southern Illinois."

While it is commonly used to refer to the tax on feminine hygiene products, the term "Pink Tax" is often used to cover the wide range of products geared towards women. According to a study on gendered pricing that was released in 2015 by the new York City Department of Consumer Affairs, women's jeans cost 10 percent more than men's jeans, while girls' bikes and scooters cost six percent more than those geared towards boys. The results of the study showed that products marketed towards women cost 42 percent more than similar products marketed to men. The difference is also reflected in personal hygiene or care products. The same study shows that razor cartridges that were marketed towards women cost an average of $17.30, while those for men cost an average of $15.61.

By passing the bill along to the governor for his approval or veto, Illinois is following in the footsteps of states including Minnesota, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maryland. California and Utah have also considered similar measures, while many states just don't tax feminine hygiene products or contraceptive measures.