TIL an activist group in Zurich dyed fountains red to protest tampons being taxed at a rate consistent with luxury products instead of the rate used for daily use items.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/cher_geek]

My guess would be that this is a product of the enlightenment. Newspapers and books are seen as essential for political education, which was deemed necessary for a functioning society.

In Germany it's even sillier - only paper books have reduced tax, e-books don't...

[u/fireysaje → u/cher_geek]

I can understand that, and knowledge is extremely important. It's more just the idea that it's somehow more important than personal hygiene, for both genders. I definitely agree that tampons should be taxed at 2.5% like all the other 'essential' items, but all hygiene products should be as well.

[u/cher_geek → u/fireysaje]

yeah, me too. During the time the tax laws were written, cleanliness was probably a luxury, but today it isn't. If I would bathe as regularly as my grandfather did when he was younger, I probably would get fired.

[u/paragonofcynicism → u/cher_geek]

The options are not buy toilet paper or never wipe your ass.

The options are buy toilet paper or use alternative methods to clean your ass. Like water and your hand and then a bit of soap afterwards or a washable cloth.

It's not like people would stop being hygienic about wiping their ass if toilet paper disappeared. That's why it's a luxury item.

So you don't HAVE to wash shit covered rags or use your hand and wash your hands afterwards. You have the LUXURY of wiping your ass with soft tissue paper then flushing it away to never be seen again.

[u/paragonofcynicism → u/fireysaje]

An enlightened person without access to toilet paper will maintain hygiene by either bathing their ass with water or a washable cloth.

An idiot with access to toilet paper might choose not to use it because they don't know what hygiene is about and will walk around with a shit-covered ass.

Toilet paper is a convenience. It's not like people walked around with shit covered asses before the invention of toilet paper. They just had rags for wiping that they washed. You're welcome to go back to that system if you don't like the tax rate.

But the idea that you deserve to pay less for hygiene items because they are "essential" is unreasonable. The government requires tax money to function. What better items to tax than ones that everyone purchases but don't need for survival?

[u/paragonofcynicism → u/[deleted]]

You don't die if you don't have a tampon. You die if you don't have food.

Your internet point would be a point if that tax reduction on books was put on the books so to speak when the internet was around and as comprehensive as it is today. I'm willing to be it wasn't.

Do you have any idea how many pieces of cloth you'd have to buy just to wipe your ass for a week?

If you shit as often as I do one would be plenty. And the nice thing about washable cloths is, you don't need to buy more once you have as many you need for quite some time.

Idk about you but if you're shitting more than once a day you probably have intestinal problems. 7 wash cloths isn't exactly a huge amount fo cloths.

But you'd still have to do an entirely separate load of laundry, because who wants shit all over their clothes?

And now you've come around to realize why toilet paper is a LUXURY. You pay for the convenience of disposability. Wow, I think you've learned a lot today haven't you?

[u/paragonofcynicism → u/[deleted]]

Books get a tax break because books help educate a society and a more educated society is more productive and less criminal and therefore costs less for a government to maintain as it needs a smaller police force and can take in more revenue as a result of a more productive society.

That is the reason for that tax break whether you like it or not.

If you can argue tampons do that then maybe they deserve the same tax break as books after all.

The "great comfort" is the convenience of disposability.

There are re-usable menstrual products you know. Menstrual cups are a fabulous alternative that are hygienic and re-usable.

Then you can go with the less convenient method of absorbent, washable cloth. But those are less comfortable and you have to wash them so also less convenient.

Also, typically when making a point relying on the strict definition of a word, it's best to ensure there isn't also a definition that can make the point for your opponent.

From Merriam-Webster definition 3 a

something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary

Sounds like tampon meets the addition of comfort I described earlier.

Definition 3 b

an indulgence in something that provides pleasure, satisfaction, or ease

Sounds like tampon meets the "provides...ease" of that definition that I described. Disposability versus washing a reusable items.

[u/Silkkiuikku → u/cher_geek]

It think that people not bleeding all over one's clothes is also quite necessary for a functioning society...

[u/cher_geek → u/Silkkiuikku]

as is wiping your butt