Texas officials support repeal of sales tax on feminine hygiene products

Aug. 18—AUSTIN — Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced on Thursday that he has joined with state Sen. Joan Huffman, Senate Committee on Finance chairwoman, to exempt feminine hygiene products from state and local sales tax.

The effort will require new legislation and would likely not be finalized until the 2023 legislative session. Hegar and Huffman voiced strong support for the initiative.

"As chair of Senate Finance, I am proud to make this effort one of my priorities," Huffman stated in the press release. "Every woman knows that these products are not optional. They are essential to our health and well-being and should be tax exempt."

"Taxing these products is archaic, and it is time for Texas to join the 24 states that already exempt tampons and other feminine hygiene products from sales tax," Hegar stated in the press release. "Our economy and state revenues are strong, and Texans are grappling with inflation and challenging price increases on everyday goods. These circumstances provide a tremendous opportunity to rectify this issue and exempt these products that represent a critical need for Texas women. I want to thank Sen. Huffman for her leadership and for taking bold and decisive action for the women of Texas."

Any legislation to create this exemption must still clear several hurdles in the Texas Legislature before heading to Gov. Greg Abbott for his consideration.

"This is the right thing to do for Texas women," Huffman stated in the press release. "I thank Comptroller Hegar for working with me on this effort and look forward to working with him and my legislative colleagues to ensure we craft legislation that garners broad support."

The Comptroller's office estimates that sales tax on feminine hygiene products would generate about $28.6 million annually during the next biennium. Hegar released his latest revenue estimate for the current biennium in mid-July, projecting an ending balance for the biennium of $27 billion.

"Texas can absorb this lost revenue easily, but for countless Texas women, this will mean significant savings in their personal budgets over time," Hegar stated in the press release. "This is a small amount of money relative to the overall revenue outlook for Texas."