CHICAGO — Cook County officials are working to make sure that suburban women won't be paying more in taxes for tampons than their city-dwelling counterparts.
Both municipalities tax tampons and other feminine hygiene products the same as other commonly purchased goods. But Ald. Ed Burke (14th) is launching an effort to classify the products as medical devices, making them virtually exempt from all city and state taxes.
READ: 'TAMPON TAX' COULD BE WAIVED IN CHICAGO; RAHM CALLS IT 'RIGHT THING TO DO'
County Comm. Richard Boykin (1st) is now launching a similar effort at the county level. Boykin said in a press release Tuesday that he will seek to make tampons exempt from the county retailer's occupation tax, which adds a 1.75 percent tax on most store-bought items.
Boykin's announcement comes as cities and other governments look to remove tampon taxes that some consider sexist. He said that, given the medical need of the products, they should have the same exemptions as other products like band-aids.
"Currently, the Illinois Department of Revenue classifies tampons and sanitary napkins as 'grooming and hygiene' products which are subject to the county's current sales tax," Boykin said in a statement. "Given the genuine necessity of the feminine hygiene products, I strongly believe they should be cataloged as exempt from the Cook County Retailer's Occupation Tax."
Tampons and pads are currently taxed at the rate of any common product in Chicago: 10.25 percent, including a 6.25 state tax, 1.75 percent county tax and 1.25 percent city tax, as well as a 1 percent Regional Transportation Authority tax.
Burke's ordinance would remove such items from taxation in Chicago by categorizing them as "medical devices." Boykin's legislation would remove the county's tax from the total tax paid on tampons.
Burke and his co-sponsors for the city ordinance have also asked the state's General Assembly to classify the items as medical devices so that they could be taxed at 1 percent, the same rate for food, drugs and medical appliances.
