JAMESTOWN – New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has launched a new campaign to eliminate the pink tax in New York State.
Cuomo says the campaign will include a series of events across the state to rally support for the elimination of the pink tax, as well as a social media campaign and a new hashtag – #PinkTax – to raise awareness and inform New Yorkers about the proposal.
In the early 1990s, several studies reported disparities between the costs of substantially similar goods and services depending on if they were marketed for men or for women.
“New York has made tremendous progress in advancing women’s rights all across the board, but unfortunately women are still victims of cultural and institutional discrimination,” Governor Cuomo said. “This year New York will once again lead the nation and continue our work to end this shameful and repugnant injustice by eliminating the so-called pink tax once and for all – because pink or blue, the price should be the same.”
Despite increased public discourse around gender-based pricing discrimination, recent research indicates that the problem still persists. To address these disparities, the Governor’s budget proposal includes legislation to prohibit gender-based pricing discrimination for substantially similar goods and services.
The legislation will require certain service providers to post price lists for standard services; businesses that violate the law would be subject to civil penalties.
In 2016 the Governor signed legislation that prohibited a tax on menstrual products, making New York one of the first states to ban the so-called “tampon tax.”
In 2019, the Governor signed a new law prohibiting employers from asking about or considering an applicant’s salary history when making hiring and promotion decisions, as well as legislation that mandates equal pay for substantially similar work.
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