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The Gamut

The Gamut

The Gamut

Pink Tax pulled from California

Fighting for Us:  Governer Gavin Newson on preventing the Pink Tax.
Gage Skidmore
Fighting for Us: Governer Gavin Newson on preventing the Pink Tax.

On Sep. 27, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom approved Assembly Bill 1287, authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan to prohibit the practice termed “The Pink Tax.” 

Effective since Jan. 1, the bill prevents  businesses from marking up prices of products targeted towards women. 

Despite its name, the Pink Tax is not a tax but rather a system of discriminatory pricing on gender-based products and services. Affecting daily necessities from hygiene to dry cleaning, Californian women on average pay $2,381 more every year for the same goods and services as their male counterparts, adding up to about $188,000 over the course of a lifetime.

“This is not insignificant to women, especially poor women on a tight budget who struggle to pay for basic necessities like a box of tampons or pads every month,”  said California assemblywoman Cristina Garcia. “If we can’t make them free we should at least make them more affordable.”

Not everyone is excited though, with some shop owners across California not looking forward to the work that must go into change. 

“A lot of price changes will happen come January to equalize some of the prices,” said Paul Keyes, an Orange County retail business owner to the Globe. “It’s good that it will happen, but switching everything around will be a major hassle for sure.”

To enforce the law, the bill includes a fining system for those who illegally mark up products targeted towards women. The fines will start at $10,000 for every infraction along with another $1,000 for subsequent violations. 

The “tax” has existed in California for decades, and finally supporters of the bill see progressive reform to curb this kind of gender based discrimination. 

“This type of arbitrary gendered pricing has no place in California. It’s long past time to eliminate this type of inequality. I’m grateful Governor Newsom has signed this bill to ensure price equality in California,” said Assemblywoman Bauer-Kahan.

About the Contributor
Nandita Bussa, Staff Writer
Passionate about writing and journalism, Nandita grew up reading a variety of books that inspired her to have the dream to someday publish her own. As a sophomore staff writer this year, journalism is a way to express herself and develop unique writing styles. She holds a special personality of being extroverted and a little nerdy. Her friends describe her as a friend who is non-judgemental, trustworthy, and a shoulder to lean on. In her free time, she loves to play volleyball, watch '90s Rom-coms and K-dramas, and listen to fun boy band music, such as One Direction, BTS, and Queen. She also enjoys watching all kinds of movies, such as Titanic, Mean Girls, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Breakfast Club, and Disney Movies like Hercules and Anastasia, while being interested in a variety of Greek Mythology. Adding on, she also likes historical musicals such as Hamilton, Newsies, and Six, and she has a fierce taste for food, loving spicy Indian food and Indochinese food.
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Pink Tax pulled from California