Fort Collins to eliminate city sales tax on menstrual products

By Jacy Marmaduke | Fort Collins Coloradoan

Fort Collins will exempt menstrual products from city sales tax in an effort to enhance gender equity in the city's sales tax code.

The exemption, which Fort Collins City Council approved unanimously at its Tuesday meeting, is expected to take effect in mid-December (60 days after second reading). It will apply to tampons, panty liners, menstrual cups, sanitary napkins and "other similar tangible personal property designed for hygiene in connection with the human menstrual cycle" purchased in city limits, according to the ordinance.

Council listed the sales tax exemption among its 31 priorities for 2021-23. It will save an estimated 47,500 Fort Collins residents who menstruate an average of a few dollars a year and cost the city an estimated $110,000 in lost revenue from sales tax. The city's sales tax is 3.85%, and people who menstruate spend an average of $60 a year on menstrual products.