So Perth student, Sophie Liley, wants to exempt tampons from the GST. Well I’d like to axe a lot of taxes too – but I wonder if Ms Liley really is a low tax kind of woman?
I don’t really understand this obsession with GST on tampons – after all it is applied to clothing (including underpants), shave cream (and razor blades), toilet paper etc etc. People in the UK, France, Italy all pay VAT on tampons (at a significantly higher rate). If Liley thinks she is going to save a lot of money over her lifetime because of not applying the GST to tampons she’s got rocks in her head. Why doesn’t she campaign against stamp duty on the purchase of homes? Why doesn’t she propose some budget expenditure cuts that could help provide room to cut taxes significantly?
If Liley spent her time studying rather than obsessing over a tampon tax she could earn a higher salary that would more than compensate for this tax.
Finally, what about all of the other taxes that go into making tampons - including income tax for the employees involved in production, distribution, wholesaling and retailing?
I agree with Liley that taxes are immoral. But taxes on tampons are no more immoral.
Angling for an Ernie Award?
Sandra Fluke wannabe after her 15 minutes.
Treat it with scorn.
Obama playbook, toned down for Australian audiences.
Ask her again next week.
Probably just pre-menstrual.
She wants sex to be free of tax?
Silly Gell
Like I said in the Open forum, Sophie Lilley could start the ‘Convoy of No Confidence’
After that I can see her point. All those things should attract GST, including her tampons.
Didn’t we go through this when the GST was being discussed originally? There are all sorts of things that might have all sorts of reasons why we shouldn’t have GST on them. Doesn’t matter. Exemptions are the bane of tax systems. They make government bigger and more expensive, and provide value only for tax advisers and canny DIY tax avoiders. If consumption taxes aren’t broad-based, then their reason for existing starts eroding.
Really? We need a fact-checker on that.
People equate personal hygiene with healthcare. The GST is exempted from healthcare, ergo anything to do with personal hygiene should be exempt.
As I recall, the test for the GST was whether the item provided a therapeutic benefit. Tampons do not provide a therapeutic benefit (although a woman might disagree).
IMHO, the root of the problem can be traced back to the general debasement of our language but more primarily to the design of the tax. Healthcare and food should not have been exempted. Too late now.
See what Michael Woodridge said back in 2000.
Tampons are gadgets which reduce sex outcomes.
Taxing them is basically taxing productivity.
Taxing productivity is tantamount to taxing future income.
She is Stupid.
Sinc, it’s all true. Not only are condoms and lubricants free of GST; so are ‘barrier dams, femidoms and harness devices’. So that’s good news for the Wivenhoe area, unpleasant-looking women in biker jackets, and horses.
You can see the full list here. Nappies for babies, sanitary towels and tampons are all subject to GST.
PS Happy Valentine’s Day!
If consumption taxes aren’t broad-based, then their reason for existing starts eroding.
IIRC John Della Bosca got shitcanned for saying of the GST that “Actually, the fairest thing to do would be to reimpose it on food”.
Now personally I don’t agree with that – I think unprocessed foodstuffs are one of the few things that should be exempted, and I happen to agree with Ms Liley on the female sanitary products (to the extent that similar and less essential items being exempt and these not seems counterproductive) – but I had to give him full marks for being willing to swim against the tide on that.
Gillard or SHY will put up an amendment bill tomorrow.
Let’s remove the tampon tax for the whinging sheilas and in return remove the beer excise for the lads.
“Really? We need a fact-checker on that.”
Turns out the GST has way more exemptions than I thought. From the ATO:
Turns out condoms and sunscreen prevent disease and so they count as ‘medical’, but products like soap and tampons only count as ‘hygiene’ and therefore attract GST.
Has anyone ever been concerned by the price of condoms or sunscreen? Has the prospect of a 10% price difference put you off protecting yourself from burns or STDs? No. Then GST should apply to these too.
“I agree with Liley that taxes are immoral”
You’ll have to spell your reasoning out on that one, Samuel. One might as well say government is immoral. If it is, then it is a necessary evil, no?
Granted, most people don’t like taxes, but immoral?
How are we to pay for roads, hospitals, schools, railways, universities, police, defence, etc.? The tax system could certainly be radically reformed, but there is no other way to reasonably spread the cost of such infrastructure and legitimate state expenditure from which so many public benefits demonstrably derive. If there were, I’m sure we would have heard about it by now.
“I agree with Liley that taxes are immoral.”
Nope, can’t agree.
Particular taxes may have immoral outcomes, either by imposition or by exemption, but taxation is not immoral per se.
Try rolling your own. Apparently some women do.
Of course some of the materials probably already attract GST but for the Martha Stewart devotee’s or earth conscious greenies, it might be a therapeutic way to spend a lazy rainy day afternoon.
Why don’t we get rid of all exemptions on the GST (Jarrah is right about this) and reduce income taxes? Or maybe lean on the states harder to get rid the most egregious tax in Australia: payroll tax.
Try making your own pads
This woman developed a video for African women to make their own so they wouldn’t have to pay big pharm.
Another thing to ask woman in the Green movement whether they buy enviromentally “unfriendly” disposable pads from big carbon footprint companies or go to the trouble to save landfill by making their own reusable pads.
taxation is not immoral per se?
Really ?
As long as they don’t ban tampons women will be happy.
I hated the alternative. As teens we called them surfboards. The alternatives have improved out of sight since the 70s.
Fortunately my days of paying that tax are well and truly over.
Now, heard a snippet on the radio today. Some clown who works in health was talking about the new Qld state advertising campaign to make people aware that sugary drinks/soft drinks are not healthy in our obese society.
This clown said that even with the advertising from the government it just wasn’t enough, until the government decided to restrict availability of unhealthy foods and made it easier to obtain healthy foods the advertising campaign wouldn’t really work.
I’m just pissed that I’m paying for some stupid advertising campaign.
Apparently the campaign will have adverts like the nasty pix in the anti-smoking adverts. Yuk.
It’s only a matter of time until the government stops us from having things we want because people can’t conrol themselves.
Soon we’ll be handing all our money over to the government so that they can buy us what we need.
Oh wait. What they think we need.
Louis
Sorry, what’s that mean?
Get a Mirena IUD instead. Only costs about $35 and you’ll barely have a period for five years. No need to spend money on tampons so save heaps of money, fabulous convenience and no babies either; it’s very reliable. This debate is sooo last century…
I’m waiting for them to go full Soros and claim that Abbott wants to ban tampons entirely. They’ve stolen everything else from MoveOn/OFA’s playbook, you know it makes sense.
“”taxation is not immoral per se?”
Really ?”"
Immoral is a big call. No taxes, no government, no defence forces. Hell, even the bible says 10 per cent is our duty, of somethingorother. I do see your point, but immorality in taxes I would think requires more than just the existence of it. Feel free to make the case for it though.
Que?
Easy to avoid. Just get knocked up.
Sadly, this is the level of understanding of some of the people who create legislation in this country.
On a visit to the markets in hobart, I spied a hippy selling reusable tampons. Can’t remember what they were made of, but the hippy was very passionate about them.
Ugh.
Todd Akin was not available for comment.
I bet all donations to the A.W.U.’s “Workplace Reform Association” were G.S.T. free.
Gillard was working “pro-boner” at that time.
“taxation is not immoral per se?
Really?”
Louis, under what philsophical/ethical set of rules is taxation considered evil?
(Or did you forget the /sarc tag and smiley?)
sigh… when adults were in charge.
thanks for the reminder Samuel J,
My set.
At last! A tampon thread, all to itself. Luxury. We used to dream of …
Actually, bad tampons are a serious health risk. A nasty thing called Toxic Shock Syndrome. Someone should tell that Hobart Hippie. And the categorical logicians at GST Central.
Tampons are not just tampons. They are symbolic objects, situated in sacred sites, and should be treated with the reverence they deserve. Even Prince Charles knew that. He actually wanted to become one. We are talking serious wymmins stuff, not just a piece of fibre on a string. Who could fault the logic there?
Well, Phillipa Martyr could to be sure. Well done, that woman.
Obama’s nicname should be tampon…..White, tight, and outta sight.
Lizzie
I remember the days before feminine hygiene.
You know, before they started advertising on TV.
Good-o, Splat. Although I suspect Prince Charles has cornered the market on that one. He is an inevitable mention whenever a discussion anywhere veers towards the tampon.
Sadly, this comment will constitute his legacy moment.
Selling zines on the weekend I got one with instructions in the back for making your own tampon when, you know, the full moon is high and the season of blood is upon us. DIY, Sophie Liley – it’s the way of the future!
Here it is. Great zine.
Kae, my Sainted Mother carried on an old Welsh tradition from the coal-mining valleys called ‘putting the rags on’. Old t-shirts were a favourite, and she taught me all about it, including washing the horrible things. I took a job as a waitress at 13 (putting my age up) to earn money to buy myself into TV’s ‘feminine hygiene’. Thank the Good Lord for capitalism and the cash-in-hand no-questions-asked labour market. Also bought some deodorant. Mum’s Sunlight Soap had its limitations too.
What’s she whining about?
I thought leftists were hot for taxes?
Here ya go, Sophie – google is your friend!
Home-made tampons? Not really. Better put the rags on instead if you want to go down misery street.
Check out Toxic Shock Syndrome which can kill in 18 hours.
In ancient times women used to us sea sponges on a string; but women were pretty disposable in those days so probably no-one noticed what they died from.
Not for the faint hearted. Ersatz tampons.
Even trannies can roll their own.
Yes your right but only rich women like Gina should pay tampon taxes so the poor and disadvantaged don’t.
The hypocrisy of all this is they willingly give up to $10.00 in tax (a day) and excise for a pack of smokes but can’t cope with less than $0.50 cents for a box of tampons so they can leave the house one week out of four.
Possible solution – more pregnancies – less need for tampons ( and immigration , translators etc)
You just don’t get it Samuel becasue you are a misogynist. It’s a war on women! A tax on tampons is obviously discriminatory and akin to genocide. Geez anyone can see that.
GST on tampons, women magazines, bras and lipstick are all part of how the patriarchy keeps women oppressed.
I wonder if they factor this sought of thing in when they are figuring that women are paid less than men?
I think this is clearly one of those first-world problems.
Taxes discriminating against women? Please… I’m pretty sure men pay far more tax – particularly income tax. In the interests of gender equality, I move that income tax be immediately abolished!
Not bad tampons. Lizzie, toxic shock is from leaving them in too long, is my understanding.
Emma Louise,
If you think not having periods for five years is somehow healthy for your body, you seriously have no idea about the delicate nature of the female endocrine system.
Toxic shock is caused by tampons that are too absorbent, and start absorbing the natural moisture of the vagina, leaving women open to infection.
Yes it seems the super absorbant ones are implicated, but i thought it was leaving them in too long and also they expand so much and can scratch the innards causing infection.
Ok I see Lizzie’s link above now, so that’s probably enough about that subject …
Are you all actually serious, this is sexist. It is a sexist tax that is saying that because I was born with a vagina I have to pay more tax. It creating inequality between men and women. I feel sad for you and that your daughters will have the same fucked up views as you rather than being progressive and standing up for themselves they wont because oh they might just have PMS.
How could it be anything else?
In a just would, people with vaginas should pay more tax as a matter of course, because on average they pay less tax yet draw more out of the taxpayer-funded social welfare & pension coffers than men do.
Hahahahaha.
~~ducks~~
How can that be possible?
Don’t wymmyn whine endlessly about the lack of pay equality.
If men are on average paid more, under our progressive tax system men are paying much more income tax.
FAIL
Of course they are, for OTHER people.
Its all about equity and justice and dignity and fairness and…
…get the thesauris out, we need emotive words that can never be measureed on an ordinal scale.
“It is a sexist tax that is saying that because I was born with a vagina I have to pay more tax. ”
Proudsupporter I think it’s some odd out of date wording in the tax legislation, not something out to get us women!
But definitely why should sunscreen and condoms be GST free if tampons aren’t.
Fuck me.
How many women pay more tax than men of similar qualifications, or in general?
Anyway
How much over a lifetime is a woman going to pay extra in tampon tax? How much more out of the Government is a woman going to get compared to a man?
For example, compare funding of breast, cervical and ovarian cancer screening compared to prostate, testicular and penile cancer. Also note the accuracy of the test for the women specific cancers compared to the male cancer tests.
It couldn’t be more than $1000 over a lifetime, probably far less than that for a lot of women. Probably all up $200.
Tampons are not expensive.
I agree though, they should be treated pretty much the same as condoms. Ideally, they’d be taxed all the same, at a lower rate.
I can’t fault the Government for coming to a sexist decision. It is based on industry coding – it might be unfair but it is a decision made by a system, not human preference. Overt sexism is practised by women against women – take men’s barbers vs female hairdressing.
“But definitely why should sunscreen and condoms be GST free if tampons aren’t.”
I believe that has already been covered in this thread, but the reason is that condoms and sunscreen have some role in preventing illness (such as STDs or skin cancer), so are classed as medical.
Tampons are largely personal hygiene products.
And a source of entertaining curiosity, practiced by younger brothers watching them explode in puddles of water all over the world
Apparently you get toxic shock from a bug that already lives in your body.
A gynae I saw years ago told me I had the bug. Didn’t stop me from using tampons. I never got ill.
Scary stories.
And I have read that you can get it from changing them too often and from not changing them enough.
The tampox tax is highly immoral and sexist, as it only applies to females. We cannot turn off our period, nor can we help we were born with a reproductive system that acts such a way. Ofcourse men will argue, “she’s having a bad week,” however all you men should consider if it wasn’t for your mother having a period, you wouldn’t even be here. It’s basically the equivalent of the penis being taxed…