Ladies, if there is one thing we all know it is that periods suck. They’re often painful and inconvenient, and due to our goods and services tax on “luxury” items they’re bloody expensive (pun intended).
So, let me introduce you to two great Aussie blokes trying to change that.
Josh and Kris Barry are the owners and operators of Barry Bros, a Brisbane based online grocer which opened last month specialising in “ethical, sustainable, and organic” products and produce.
After a Greens Party-led amendment to GST laws specifically axing women’s feminine hygiene products was voted down in the Senate in June, the Barry brothers decided they would set an example for the government on what women should really be paying for pads and tampons.
So, like the sanitary items their lady customers must buy, they are choosing to – ahem – absorb. That is, absorbing the GST costs right up so women can finally buy tampons “tax-free”.
"Women deserve to have these necessities, which are not luxuries, made accessible and affordable," Josh Barry said.
“We feel strongly that tampons and pads shouldn’t be taxed while condoms, lubricants and other toiletries are GST-free, so this is our way of standing in solidarity with those lobbying for common sense.”
The Barry Bros feminine hygiene product supplier Natracare estimates the average woman will use at least 11,000 pads or tampons in her lifetime. That means losing the GST tax on TOM Organic tampons will save you a cool $17,820 over your menstrual lifetime.
Currently the Barry Bros are only operating in the Brisbane area, but you can register your interest to buy with Barry Bros here. You can order your box of GST-free tampons from Barry Bros via their website here.
It might only be a small step, but let's hope our politicians are taking notice - and the tampon tax becomes a thing of the past.
LISTEN: Mia Freedman sits down with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.