'Tampon Tax' full list of MPs who voted against lowering the rate

[cricketballs]

interesting link which shows the list of MPs who voted against cutting VAT on sanitary products. Interesting to see its only conservatives and includes female MPs

So it would be illegal to reduce VAT on razors.

At the risk of digging over old ground, I really feel like Labour are the anti-women ones in this instance. They tabled an amendment that they knew would be impossible for the Conservative's to get behind knowing they had a win win. If the vote passed it would cause massive issues for our involvement in the EU and a big headache for the Conservatives. If it failed then women all over the country would be outraged, filling forums with hatred for their MPs who they perceived voted to uphold sexism by upholding a luxury gendered tax. They left women open to scorn and ridicule by popularising the notion that VAT is a luxury tax and that the lifetime cost is in the hundreds of £, when the math doesn't add up.

Bras are a gendered product, they are also subject to a greater tax rate of 20% VAT (last time i checked). Actually with bras you are penalised the more womanly your body shape is as some shops apply a child zero rated tax to bras under a 34B. Furthermore as a woman you will, eventually, stop menstruating. Your requirement for a bra will last way longer. (I realise some women don't use bras but the majority of my bigger busted friends say they do need one, and remember VAT is a consumption tax not a luxury tax so don't fall in to the trap of thinking a bra is a luxury!)
Why did Labour not table an amendment to address this? Simple, because the alliteration of Tampon Tax and images of blood stained clothing make for a better newspaper front page and political statement than unsupported boobies. If you want to get upset about sexism, get upset about the way Labour have cynically manipulated women's strength of feeling on this issue to their advantage.

If this is an EU wide regulation how is it that sanitary protection is so much cheaper in France ?
Maybe we should all write to our MPs and ask them to define 'luxury' ?

"Maybe we should all write to our MPs and ask them to define 'luxury' ?"

Well you could, but it's nothing to do with this. VAT is not a luxury tax, and never had been. It's an EU wide consumption tax. UK used to have a luxury tax, which was abolished about the time of EU accession. But VAT was never a direct replacement. Except in (inaccurate) tabloid-speak. And relying on red-tops mistakes isn't going to advance anything.

Of course if you want to support a luxury tax, the party which had this as a manifesto pledge at last election was UKIP.

Thank you for the corrections AuntieStella.
Do you have any suggestions for what we can do ?

If you want to get upset about sexism, get upset about the way Labour have cynically manipulated women's strength of feeling on this issue to their advantage

^

This

The problem with car seats I would imagine is even though it is law to have one it could be seen as a luxury to own the car.

I doubt that's the reason - motorcycle helmets are VAT exempt as they're classed as protective equipment: www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-70123-protective-equipment/vat-notice-70123-protective-equipment#childrens-car-seats-and-travel-systems

And let's reiterate because this is coming up every other post:

VAT is not a tax on luxuries.

VAT is not a tax on luxuries.

VAT is not a tax on luxuries.

VAT is not a tax on luxuries.

VAT is not a tax on luxuries.

VAT is not a tax on luxuries.

VAT is not a tax on luxuries.

VAT is not a tax on luxuries.

VAT is not a tax on luxuries.

VAT is not a tax on luxuries.

Is that enough, do you think?

WMittens

My MP has just posted the following on FB:

Votes in Parliament are not casual expressions of opinion. Or shouldn't be. The Govt should not back anything non-deliverable. All MPs would like to see no VAT on tampons. But the UK cannot remove the 5%VAT. We could if we were to leave the EU, which is why those MPs keenest on Brexit voted to remove the tax yesterday. The Govt Minister said he would raise the matter with the EU. I'd be surprised if successful. Also the case that should tampons be zero-rated, the manufacturing, advertising, etc processes involved would no longer be eligible for VAT recovery, which means the cost of tampons could actually rise. The list of VAT exempt items was fixed almost 50 yrs ago. Inevitably there are anomalies. All 28 member states must agree every change. Usually campaigns are to reduce to 5%, which is within EU law. I back such a campaign for tourism. Another reason to back Brexit !!

Sanitary products should be subsided at the least, not taxed. Cannot believe people still think like this in this day in and age, let alone our MPs.

Sanitary products should be subsided at the least

By whom and why?

Should nappies also be subsidised? Tena pads for the elderly?

"Do you have any suggestions for what we can do ?"

a) support UKIP
b) support reopening the entire EU wide VAT agreement, and accept the risk of unintended consequences (other nations, who have an equal say to us, want all exemptions removed)
c) park it all until after the EU referendum, leaving the people who do EU negotiations to concentrate on that, rather than diverting effort into the entire VAT agreement.
d) decide that there will always be bigger fish to fry with the EU. And decide therefore that, whatever the single issue campaign, it will never be worth the risks of reopening the entire VAT agreements. Nod in sympathy, but do nothing.

What pohtaytoh said!! Put far more elequently than me.
I was up in arms after reading this thread as my femal conservative mp voted against it. I did incidentally vote for her. But after reading more into it I see that it it totally being manipulated by the labour media machine making out the big bag evil Tories are at it again.
I wonder why the labour MPs did nothing about it when they were in power? Probably because they knew they couldn't. But they are happy support it when the onus is on the conservatives who are equally powerless but they get to look like they care. It make me even more cynical of labour. It is a shame as a lot of people reading these threads/ articles won't have delved further but that is of course what labour wants.

Not sure if French ones are cheaper, but they charge VAT at 20% and have just voted not to charge the French lower rate of 5.5%

I do think Labour have behaved very badly on this. By all means criticise the Tories on things that they can change but don't. However, don't engineer a vote on a "women's issue" that is outside the power of the British parliament to alter just to try to generate headlines.

Even if every MP had voted in favour, that still wouldn't make the VAT reduction happen because it is an EU matter. It was a pointless vote engineered to serve a political purpose.

Frankly, its another example of politicians engaging in political game playing and points scoring instead of dealing with issues they can change.

I still don't understand why there was a vote on this if there was nothing that could be done to change it. Who decided to vote and what did they think it would achieve?

tampons are SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper in the UK than France.

www.carrefour.fr/search/site/--tampax/15

Tampax Compak Pearl 18p/each

Sainsburys price:
www.mysupermarket.co.uk/Shopping/FindProducts.aspx?query=tampax+pearl&store=Sainsburys
16.7p/each

Own-brand, regular flow, non-applicator:

Carrefour: 6p/each
Sainsburys: 3.9p/each

This is despite a historically high exchange rate.

I have learned a lot by reading this thread!

Does anyone regard this a 'tax on being a woman?' Jon Snow made a FB post using those words so wondered if that's how any women actually feel?

"You know nothing Jon Snow"

I generally regard the social expectation that women should wear make-up, and should shave/wax their legs, etc as taxes on being a woman.

This depresses the shit out of me.

I am not a Tory. Just to get that out of the way.

But Corbyn has been in how long and normal game.playing has resumed.

Deja Vue all over again.

Tampons are a luxury item. Any disposable item should be considered a luxury including nappies and sanitary protection. Women can buy a menstrual cup for £20. No need to buy tampons and pay VAT every month at all. I really don't get all the fuss.

Pipbin essentially Labour decided on a vote, because they tabled an amendment to an already in existence bill - any changes to the bill had to be voted on. Call me cynical but I believe Labour decided to engineer this vote purely for - as Libraries put it - game-playing reasons.

Pipbin - Labour MP tabled amendment. Tories had to vote against because they can't deliver it - they don't have the power to. And making this a single issue big bust up with the EU would be daft.

The opposition MPs get to vote for and look good (even if they manage to pass it, not their job to deliver it). They get to whitter about moral good and ambition. Tories have to vote against and be called misogynist (not denying some of them are!!)

very cynical game playing. There is a reason Dawn Primarolo focused on getting it to 5%.