Predicted to save people hundreds, state taxes on diapers and menstrual products eliminated

By Sonia Gutierrez | Rocky Mountain PBS

DENVER — People who buy diapers, pads, and tampons will no longer be taxed in Colorado.

The bipartisan law exempting menstrual products and diapers from state and use taxes went into effect on August 10. 

Previously, the state sales tax code considered pads, tampons, and diapers a luxury item, excluding them from tax exemptions. This new law recognizes those items as a necessity, so they are now exempt from state sales taxes.

“People didn’t even realize these products were taxed from the beginning,” said Louise Myrland, vice president of programs for the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. “This new law will help many Coloradans who need it most.”

The state projects more than 200,000 children will be in diapers next fiscal year. Myrland said each of those families are spending about $1,000 a year on diapers. This tax exemption will mean a meaningful savings for those families.