Gov. Jerry Brown Vetoed Tax Exemptions for Tampons and Diapers

Sales tax on tampons and diapers will live on in California.

California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed seven bills on Tuesday that would have provided tax breaks or exemptions, including two bills that would have gotten rid of sales tax on menstrual products and diapers. (The other vetoed bills included a tax exemption on animal blood sold for animal medical treatments and mortgage debt forgiveness.)

Brown said that the bills would cost the state too much money. It’s the second year in a row Brown has vetoed tax exemption bills due to budget constraints.

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“Tax breaks are the same as new spending,” Brown wrote in his veto message. “As such, they must be considered during budget deliberations so that all spending proposals are weighed against each other at the same time. This is even more important when the state’s budget remains precariously balanced.”

The diaper exemption would have cost the state $35 million a year, while the exemption on menstrual products would have cost the state $20 million this year, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Supporters of the tampon and diaper tax exemptions weren’t happy with Brown’s decision.

“We knew from the beginning that making the case for addressing diaper need would be a long journey, and today’s disappointing setback just means we’ll be back to try again,” Lorena Gonzalez, the state assembly member who authored the diaper exemption bill, said in a statement to the Huffington Post. “We will continue working to achieve sales tax reform and bridge the diaper gap that forces too many of California’s working families to struggle.”

“Men purchase Viagra and they don’t get taxed. There is no other such tax that’s gender specific in the tax code,” Cristina Garcia, the California state assembly member who authored the tampon tax bill, said in a statement to the Huffington Post. ‘Women matter and we need to send that message to the Governor.”