NEW YORK — New York’s governor wants to eliminate the so-called “pink tax.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday he’ll push legislation banning gender-based price disparities for similar goods and services.
Cuomo, a Democrat, cited research that indicated women often end up with a bigger bill for items like toys, clothing and personal care products.
The proposal, rolled out as part of Cuomo’s State of the State agenda, would require certain service providers to post price lists for standard services.
Businesses that don’t comply could be hit with civil penalties.
“Women shouldn’t be nickel and dimed their entire lives because of their gender,” Cuomo said in a statement. “It’s discriminatory and repugnant to our values and we’re putting an end to it.”
A 2015 study by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs found that 42 percent of the time products targeted at women were more expensive than those marketed to men.
Products aimed at women cost an average of 7% more than similar items for men and personal care products for women were priced 13% higher than men’s products, according to the study.
In 2016, New York banned taxes on menstrual products and last year enacted laws mandating equal pay and barring companies from asking about salary history.
Leave a Reply