An organization in Arkansas is trying to end a statewide tax on menstrual hygiene products. The Arkansas Period Poverty Project aims to put an amendment on the ballot in 2024. The proposed ballot title would exempt period products, like pads or tampons, from sales tax.

Katie Clark founded the Arkansas Period Poverty Project in 2018. Clark became passionate about period equity after she read a book called “Period Power” by Nadya Okamoto. The book talks about the financial barriers many people face trying to acquire tampons and pads.

“If you do not have enough product or the right kind of product to manage your period you have to stay home to deal with it,” Clark said. “We should all have access to toilet paper. So why don’t we have equal access to period products?”

According to the Bureau of Legislative Research, statewide, menstruating people spend over $1 million on just the period product tax itself. This means repealing the tax would save consumers money, but would also cause the state to miss out on some revenue.

This information comes from a report the bureau wrote after the Arkansas Period Poverty Project attempted to end the tax through the legislative process.

During the Arkansas Legislature’s 2021 general session, project members worked with Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Knoxville, and Rep. Denise Ennett, D-Little Rock, to craft a bill ending the tax. HB1065 died in committee, because the legislature adjourned too soon move through the entire process.

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