Georgia Pols Push 'Tax-Free Tampon Weekends' In New Period Tax Fight

Georgia lawmakers are lining up behind a proposal that would give shoppers a break on menstrual products during four tax-free weekends each year, turning the long-running fight over the so-called tampon tax into a fresh budget battle under the Gold Dome.

House Bill 1144, filed this month in Atlanta, would let shoppers buy menstrual products without paying state sales tax on four two-day stretches annually. Each tax holiday would cover a consecutive Saturday and Sunday once every quarter, starting Dec. 1, 2026, if the measure becomes law. The idea is to trim costs on essentials like tampons, pads, menstrual cups and period underwear, and to chip away at what advocates have long argued is a discriminatory tax on a basic health need.

According to the bill text posted by LegiScan, the measure, officially titled the "Georgia Hygiene Essentials Tax-Free Period," orders the state revenue commissioner to pick one consecutive Saturday and Sunday in each quarter beginning Dec. 1, 2026 and to publish those dates online. The holiday would apply only to state sales and use taxes, while local sales taxes would still be charged at the register.

The bill spells out exactly what gets the break: tampons, menstrual pads, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, menstrual cups, discs, sponges and period underwear all qualify. Over-the-counter and prescription medications are specifically excluded, as reported by WSB-TV. In practice, that would mean eight tax-free days a year, two days once each quarter, although local add-on sales taxes could still nudge receipts higher.

HB 1144 was introduced in early February and is sponsored by Rep. Kim Schofield along with several co-sponsors from both parties. The bill has been sent to the House Ways & Means Committee for a closer look, according to legislative trackers, and supporters argue that the once-per-quarter format would keep things administratively manageable for retailers. TrackBill

How It Would Work

Under the proposal, retailers would not have to sign up to participate in the tax holiday, but they would still need to follow whatever accounting and reporting rules the Department of Revenue lays out in its regulations, using official forms and instructions. The bill also tells the revenue commissioner to roll out a public-awareness campaign so shoppers know when to time their purchases.

On the oversight side, the commissioner would be required to submit a written report to the House Ways & Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee by July 1, 2028 and every year after that. The report must include total sales exempted, the number of transactions and an estimate of the fiscal impact on state revenue. The law is written with a built-in sunset: the code section would automatically repeal on Dec. 31, 2031. LegiScan

Supporters And Critics

Backers cast HB 1144 as a menstrual-equity measure that trims at least some cost from a monthly expense that is impossible to skip. Local coverage notes that Georgia currently charges state sales tax on tampons, and Georgia Recorder reports that activists argue the added cost piles up over a lifetime.

On the other side of the ledger, economists and tax-policy analysts warn that tax holidays in general can be expensive for state and local governments and are not a reliable way to juice long-term economic growth. Those concerns are outlined by the Tax Foundation, which has long questioned whether short-term exemptions are the most efficient way to deliver relief.

For now, the menstrual-products holiday remains parked in the House Ways & Means Committee and has not yet had a public hearing. Whether leaders schedule votes in the coming weeks will decide if HB 1144 moves to the full House and then on to the Senate. If lawmakers pass the bill as written, the revenue commissioner would begin setting the annual tax-free weekends for the 2026-27 period. Legislative tracking services currently show the bill listed as introduced and pending, and both advocates and retailers are watching the committee calendar to see if it gets its day in the spotlight. BillTrack50