Period product sales tax exemption set to kick in Aug. 28
Alison Patton
Starting Aug. 28, period products, diapers and incontinence products will be exempt from all sales and use taxes, according to the Missouri Department of Revenue, including state and local.
Tax for Columbia is about 8.975%, which adds roughly .45 cents to a $5 item.
While the tax exemption will help lower the cost of menstruation products, spokesperson Sydney Roman from Period said, it’s not a solution to “period poverty,” which is a term used to describe a consistent lack of access to period products.
Period is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating period poverty.
“We think that it’s a part of a larger movement and a larger effort to recognize menstrual products as essential needs from the government,” Roman said.
Period products are not medically recognized, which means families can’t turn to programs like SNAP or WIC to purchase items the organization Period sees as a medical necessity, Roman said.
According to Period Law, Missouri collected about $7.8 million in tax revenue from period products, which is about .04% of the state’s total revenue in 2023.
“For the state, that removal of the tax really is negligible,” Roman said.
Missouri is joining 31 other states that have passed a similar tax exemption for period products, according to Period Law.
Gay Litteken, the executive director of First Chance for Children, said the cost of diapers has increased by 24% since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think because groceries have gone up, gas has increased,” Litteken said. “Families are just really stretched to their limit, and if we can help supplement diapers for them, then that’s a good thing.”
Litteken said there has been an increased demand for the free diapers her non-profit gives out to families over 6000 families every year. She doesn’t think the tax exemption will allow families to lean completely off First Chance for Children.
“We are really seeing some hard economic, times for families,” Litteken said. “We are here to support them.”