Another attempt to end that 'luxury' taxation...

StillLost.... that article you linked makes me wonder about Lucy Mangan's critical thinking skills. Does she not realise that these people who's benefits she's championing would be able to afford sanitary protection more easily if it didn't have VAT? One of the things that women on benefits have to decide is whether to pay for enough on the gas meter or buy adequate sanitary protection. And the pathetic squeamishness about washable sanitary towels says it all really.

Apologies - my error

Actually caroldecker it was Gordon Brown back in 2000. This article is from 21st March 2000.

I've signed the petition, it's one of those things that makes you go WTF when you hear about as it's just so ridiculous.

scaevola I was Gorge Osbourne - the labour party are dismissive of women, hence the pink bus.
i think the luxury tax confusion is that the UK had a purchase tax on luxury items prior to VAT introduction. This was abolished when VAT was introduced, so was seen as a replacement

Her Saturday column in The Guardian has always struck me as pointless , self'-centred tripe but I'm not sure what she's on about here.

www.stylist.co.uk/people/lucy-mangan/vat-on-tampons-should-not-be-axed

Respite the rhetoric which stuck in the public consciousness since the 1970s, VAT is not and never has been a luxury tax.

If you want a luxury tax rather than VAT, then that is in the UKIP manifesto.

I think it was Gordon Brown who took sanpro to the lowest possible rate (5%) within the EU regulations.

I doubt any party other than those actively seeking departure from EU would want to risk the massive potential for unintended consequences by reopening this in Europe.

Incontinence pads are zero rated if they are bought as medical products. Apparently until 2010 customers only got the benefit of that if they declared they qualified for it by having a medical need otherwise VAT was charged (although apart from the time I bought Tena night pads by mistake thinking they were heavy duty night sanitary towels I can't imagine why one would buy incontinence pads if one didn't need them)

On the one hand I'm not sure I see what the difference is. 2 products designed to capture emissions from the human body over which the user has no control. Without that protection the user risks at best embarrassment or at worst being unable to mix fully and openly in society.

On the other hand having a period isn't , in itself, a medical condition.

But then again aren't the highest protection products "medical" . If you can get away with the teeny/tiny things that's what you buy. No one buys things that look like nappies (or Tena night pads) just for the fun of it.

As Carol has already mentioned, at least the gov has looked more favourably on women by cutting it to 5%.

Whilst I think that vat on sanitary products is ridiculous, it's worth bearing in mind that toilet tissue attracts the full rate of vat.

Quite how visiting to toilet umpteen times a day is also a 'luxury' is anyone's guess!

Not totally ignored it

To be fair to the current govt, they did cut it to 5%, which is a much as they are legally allowed to do, so they have totally ignored it

To be fair to the current govt, they did cut it to 5%, which is a much as they are legally allowed to do, so they have totally ignored it

Good point about the 'bleed-in' Shame I can't get down to London this week.

The EU is, by and large a positive thing, and we would be bloody foolish to opt out of it, especially if we're going to be forced to suck up TTIP. Cancelling tax on items that are necessary such as sanitary protection, should be a Europe wide initiative. I'm pretty sure women in Germany, for example, also need to use it, so it would make sense to do this as an EU wide policy change. It's probably the only way the UK Gov would accede to the change too, if we're honest.

I googled UKIP/VAT/ Sanitary products and whilst I didn't check every link , it does seem to be something they have thought of.

The EU isn't always the better option. Lack of control over VAT is problematic as is standards of farm animal welfare ( not all EU countries apply UK standards which makes UK farmers less competitive) I doubt UKIP really care about either of these issues but they are a bit of an open goal.

It is part of their platform.

Not based on specific items, but UKIP appear to want to replace VAT and replace it with a luxury tax.

Oh nice Errol, that is very, very much a good point and should be part of their platform!

hahah Can you imagine Farage being forced to discuss "lady bits"?!

Yes, when our school asked for food bank donations for harvest festival I went on the website for a look and sent DS in with toothbrushes and a selection of sanitary wear (DS is 4, he couldn't care less, and knows what these things are as much as any 4 year-old does - I wasn't using him for some kind of point, just because those were things the foodbank specifically said they needed)

I noted that none of my stuff was in their harvest festival display though

groundhog sounds excellent, im all for it. You are right about the straw though. Also, who could be bothered to carry it there? Not me!

our local refuges always ask for donations of sanitary products, as they're costly and very overlooked. But you know, probably one of those non-issues to get out knickers in a twist about.

Sounds reasonable Gin, wouldn't you say? No straw though. It would ruin the effect.

I'm down for next week.

As far as these trivial things go that we shouldn't be worrying about, this probably makes the list.. and then you read how a lack of suitable sanitary products affects women and girls in other countries, or poorer girls and women in this one, and you realise that actually it's pretty damn fundamental.

groundhog what, just create a rota based on whos due to bleed and just go sit on a pile of straw on the doorstep of number 10 in turn until he sorts it?