Last September, the feminist collective Menstruation Digna México presented a bill in front of the Chamber of Deputies to eliminate 16% VAT on all products associated with menstruation.
The proposal presented by Deputy Martha Tagle (Citizen Movement) seeks to generate a debate on health, inequality and financial justice.
"Menstruation is political and as such should be addressed," they say from the group.
The group that has drafted the proposal formed by Fundar, Oxfam Mexico and the Council to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination in Mexico City (Copred), points out that VAT is a consumption tax that, unlike other taxes, does not make the difference between who pays it and, therefore, imposes tax burdens despite economic and gender inequality.
"In Mexico, public and tax policies lack a gender and human rights perspective, as long as men and women continue to face different socioeconomic realities, the tax systems -which are gender-neutral- will affect them differently", explains Paulina Castañeda, Tax justice researcher at the Fundar research and analysis center.
A woman menstruates 2,535 days of her life, approximately, the equivalent of 7 years in a row, they say from Fundar.
According to INEGI data, more than 63 million women, girls and adolescents in Mexico -between 15 and 50 years- are menstruating today.
Hence, according to Fundar's research, 4 out of 10 live in a situation of multi-dimensional poverty.
"Excise taxes disproportionately affect women and menstruating people who have to make additional expenses to manage their menstruation," says Castañeda.
According to a recent study by the Citizen Action Against Poverty organization, in Mexico there is a 16% wage gap between men and women in paid jobs.
To this must be added gender inequality and the sexist divisions of domestic and care work, without remuneration.
"The existence of women without their own resources is the greatest expression of the lack of economic autonomy," adds the researcher from Fundar.
"We need 360 towels or tampons a year, that is, 720 pesos a year, which is equivalent to 5% of the total expenses of a household of the poorest 10% in the country, which is a lot," he points out.
In a country where talking about menstruation continues to represent a taboo, the proposal before Congress not only seeks to reform article 2 of the VAT Law to include these products within the so-called “zero rate” such as medicines or food, it also tries to establish a debate on social justice and access to health.
In Latin America there are some initiatives similar to the one that has been proposed in Mexico.
Colombia was the first country in the region to eliminate the menstruation tax and in Argentina there is a similar proposal.
"The 16% rate violates human rights norms such as equality and non-discrimination, the right to health, minimum vitality, a dignified life, work and the education of women", Castañeda sentence, which prevents a woman from developing socially under conditions of equality with a man.
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