Shockingly, There Is One Type Of Tax That Is Illegal In New York

New York State is definitely known for its high taxes at pretty much every level of government. By the time we pay our income tax, property tax, school tax, and sales tax we have significantly less of our paychecks left. But there is one tax in New York that is actually illegal. If you believe you are paying this tax, you can report it to the New York State Division of Consumer Protection and the business could be fined $250 for the first violation and up to $500 for the following violations.

What Is A Pink Tax?

Photo by Natracare on Unsplash

California just banned gender-based pricing, also known as a pink tax. New York has actually had a ban on pink tax since 2020. Then-Governor Andrew M. Cuomo made the announcement on September 30, 2020. The law was created to ensure equality in the amounts women pay for products or services. Studies have shown that women often paid more for "women's versions" of the same type of products as men.

The law says "substantially similar goods" that really don't offer any significant difference - in the materials used in production, intended use, functional design and features, and brand - cannot charge more for a girls' or women's versions.

For example, the same children's swimming pool product brand and dimensions offered in pink at $89.99 and blue at $69.99 would constitute a violation of law. For example, dry cleaning a woman's suit jacket for $12 and a man's suit jacket for $8, would constitute a violation of law.

How Do You Report Violations Of New York State's Pink Tax Law?

Getty Images for Refinery29

If you believe there has been a violation of the state's pink tax law, you can contact the New York State Division of Consumer Protection New York State consumers. You can contact the Division of Consumer Protection at 800-697-1220 Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, or file a complaint online.

Lt. Governor at the time, Kathy Hochul said,

Women and girls continue to face inequalities in many aspects of their daily lives, and it is unacceptable that they have to pay more than men for similar goods and services. Eliminating the pink tax helps put an end to gender-based pricing, ensure financial success and break down barriers for women. We do not tolerate discriminatory actions in our state, and we will continue to fight to eliminate the gender wage gap and achieve full equality and justice for all New Yorkers.

Get our free mobile app

Bad Habits Cost More In New York State, There's A 'Sin Tax' On These 9 Items

See The 10 States With The Highest Tax Burden

We can count on two things in life. Death and taxes.

In the state of New York, we can count on those taxes being high. But how high is our tax burden in the Empire State versus other states?

Wallethub recently ranked each of the 50 states based on overall tax burden which they define as "...the proportion of total personal income that residents pay toward state and local taxes." These rankings base that ax burden number on property, income, and sales taxes.

Here are the top 10 states from those rankings, And, yes, no surprise - New York made the list. But are we that bad off? See where New York ranks!

Gallery Credit: Matty Jeff