According to government guidelines, crocodile steaks are not a 'luxury'. Neither are edible cake decorations, pistachios or Jaffa Cakes: all are VAT free. Tampons and sanitary towels, on the other hand, are considered 'non-essential', which is why we currently pay five percent tax on them. Frankly, it's absurd.
It's time to end the tax on female sanitary products, once and for all. Periods aren't only uncomfortable, painful and inconvenient, they're also expensive. The levy on sanitary products is a tax on women: a Vagina Added Tax. Tampons, towels, Mooncups, panty liners - whatever you use, it's an inescapable outlay.
The tampon tax is also a very real barrier to accessing sanitary products for many women. Homelessness is on the rise - and for women without ready access to a toilet or bathroom, periods are already an awful experience. I've spoken to many women unable to afford sanitary products, and they told me of the indignity and humiliation of begging for and borrowing supplies, or of taking the pill continuously to delay their period indefinitely. For women like this, the VAT on tampons and towels adds insult to injury and with impending tax credit cuts, the situation is likely to get worse. The grim reality is that many mums will have to decide between buying dinner for their kids, or tampons. Of course, this is something that affects children too. Girls as young as nine are starting their periods and sanitary products designed to cater for the younger market are often more expensive.
The government have said they are 'sympathetic' about this issue, but British women don't want tea, sympathy and platitudes - we want action. This is why I tabled an amendment calling on the government to renegotiate the VAT levy on feminine hygiene products as part of their EU reform negotiations. The amendment would have required George Osborne to publish a strategy for negotiating an exemption for sanitary products within three months. The government should be using chances to obtain genuine reform that would benefit women and girls across Britain and indeed, the rest of Europe.
We had an opportunity to take a significant step forward for women last Monday when MPs voted on the move. To me, this is an issue which should have transcended party politics, and the government should have grabbed that opportunity with both hands.
It was gut-wrenching to see the vast majority of Tory MPs vote against the amendment, especially the women. However, at the same time it was refreshing to hear such debate being carried out in the Commons. The electorate want to see a more representative parliament that isn't afraid to tackle issues head on, and 99% of the feedback I have received has been positive. I've personally suffered with problem periods for years, so much so that I have had to have surgery. Any move to destigmatise issues such as this is positive and welcome.
This is not the end of the fight. I am applying for a Backbench Business Debate to debate this issue further and also hope to meet some of my European counterparts campaigning for a fairer deal for women. I'm determined to see this through, make a difference and ultimately get this unfair and unjust tax scrapped - period.
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Guest post: Tampon tax - "We don't want tea and sympathy - we want action"
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MumsnetGuestPosts · 03/11/2015 12:02
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