A measure prohibiting gender-based price discrimination in consumer goods and services — where products marketed toward women cost more than identical items for men — has been filed in the Philippine Senate.

In a statement on Wednesday, Senator Lorna Regina B. Legarda announced that she has officially filed Senate Bill (SB) No. 2483, or the Anti-Pink Tax Act, a landmark consumer protection measure against unfair gender-based pricing intended to ease the financial burden on predominantly female buyers.

According to Ms. Legarda, the “pink tax” refers to a pricing disparity in which female consumers pay more for daily necessities without any legitimate reason.

Dated Sept. 21, SB No. 2483 mandates a comprehensive regulatory framework to combat the practice. The measure makes it unlawful to impose different prices on similar consumer goods or services based solely on the target gender, and businesses seeking to charge different prices would be required to justify those differences using gender-neutral factors. In practical terms, that provision would shift the burden onto sellers to document legitimate, non-gender-based reasons for any price gap between substantially similar products.

Enforcement authority would rest with the Department of Trade and Industry, which Ms. Legarda said will be empowered to issue compliance orders and impose administrative fines ranging from P50,000 to P1 million against noncompliant businesses.

Under standard Senate procedure, the bill’s next milestone will be its referral to the appropriate committee, where it would undergo review before any floor deliberation. Enactment would require approval on three readings in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, with any differing versions reconciled, before the measure could be submitted to the President for signature.

The term “pink tax” has drawn growing international attention as consumer agencies and researchers have documented price gaps between substantially similar products marketed to men and women, particularly in categories such as razors, shampoo, and clothing. A widely cited 2015 study by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, “From Cradle to Cane,” found that women’s versions of comparable products cost about 7% more on average, and several jurisdictions — including New York and California the United States — have since enacted bans on gender-based pricing.

This report was first published by BusinessWorld Online; the original article was written by Francessca S. Abalos (source).