The majority of states and territories will back the removal of GST from women's sanitary products.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott earlier deferred the issue to the states, arguing it was up to them to say what should happen to the tampon tax.

State governments would lose about $30 million a year in foregone revenue combined if feminine hygiene products were excluded from the GST, according to Deloitte Access Economics.

Treasurer Joe Hockey has said the GST should be removed from the products, and on Tuesday evening announced he had asked his department to cost the change.

But Mr Abbott appeared cooler on the idea on Tuesday, saying it was "not something this government has a plan to do".

"If all the states and territories can agree, obviously we are happy to hear from them," Mr Abbott later told question time.

Many states came out promptly and strongly in favour of the change.

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas said the state government had supported the removal of GST on sanitary products for a long time.

"We look forward to Mr Hockey now putting his proposal to the states and territories, and allowing them the opportunity to back it in," Mr Pallas said.

Along with South Australia, the Northern Territory and ACT, Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad also backed the move.

"This is the first time you'll hear me agree with Joe Hockey, but of course," she said.

New South Wales Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian would only say that NSW "looks forward" to the states having broad discussion about the GST and tax reform in July.

Western Australia similarly did not give a clear yes or no.

"Any change to, or removal of, exemptions from the GST process should be part of broader GST reform," Treasurer Mike Nahan said.

"Western Australia considers broader reform of the GST distribution process, a process that currently results in Western Australia receiving an unacceptably low share of the national GST pool, to be our main priority."

Federal Labor and the Greens added their support to ending the tax on tampons, but economists cautioned against exempting any products from the GST, which covers about 55 per cent of goods and services bought in Australia.

Grattan Institute chief executive John Daley said the GST would be "much better if it taxed everything".

"The GST taxes a lot of things that are necessary, that's the point of it," he said.

"The debate should be about expanding the tax to cover more things rather than exempting items. If we start exempting items it will make the tax less effective."

Mr Hockey told the ABC's Q&A program on Monday night he would raise the issue of GST on sanitary products at the next treasurers' meeting in July.

His remarks were prompted by a question from Sydney university law student Subeta Vimalarajah, who has started an online petition asking Mr Hockey to remove the GST on tampons, in response to the government's tax review. The petition has gathered more than 94,000 signatures.

Ms Vimalarajah asked Mr Hockey if he thought sanitary products were an "essential health good for half the population".

"I think so, I think so," the Treasurer said.

When pressed on whether the GST should be removed on the items, he said: "It probably should, yes, the answer's yes."

This is not the first time Canberra has come under pressure to change the GST on tampons.

In 2000, Labor campaigned to have tampons, caravan park fees for long-term residents and funeral expenses excluded from the GST, but was knocked back by the House of Representatives.

Since then other campaigns have also been launched against the GST on sanitary products. Labor dismissed the idea when in government in 2009, saying it had made a commitment to maintain existing arrangements.

GST-free goods include most basic foods, condoms, personal lubricants, sunscreen and nicotine chewing gum.

The Tasmanian government has been contacted for comment.

With Amy Remeikis, Josh Gordon and Nicole Hasham

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