that part of the funds from the tampon tax are going to an anti abortion group.

[HelenaDove]

A quarter of a million pounds to Life.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/01/tampon-tax-anti-abortion-group-anger?CMP=twt_gu

Life are using this caring and out reach work as a front for their anti abortion remit. The government should not be funding a group which deliberately is set up to prevent women accessing a legal and safe service. Women are very grateful to have an abortion, when they need it without being made guilty for their decisions.
.On the back of this terrible funding decision I have donated to the BPAS Back Off campaign and signed their petition.

Which is here if you want to sign it

bpas.takeaction.org.uk/lobby/tampontaxfund

Yes Rainbows, everyone has access to washing and drying facilities and everyone is in a position to carry bloody used towels with them all day. Your privilege is mightily showing.

Imbroglio no eu directive is that non-essential items must be taxed. The U.K. Govt has defined disposable sanitary wear as non-essential they could have defined them as essential and therefore tax exempt as some eu countries have.

That's not my understanding, Graphista.

"Imbroglio no eu directive is that non-essential items must be taxed. The U.K. Govt has defined disposable sanitary wear as non-essential they could have defined them as essential and therefore tax exempt as some eu countries have."

That's not right. EU has laid down tax rates for goods (which happens to be called VAT, but is a general consumption tax, not anything to do with whether items are deemed 'essential'). Some countries kept exemptions which predates the coming into effect if certain regulations. New joiners have to sign up to the full rules. Some have, for example, VAT on all food (without the exceptions for basic foodstuffs).

Countries can impose additional levies (eg Denmark on disposable items) but cannot reduce beyond the EU minima.

I got a reply from my MP:

Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me recently about the Tampon Tax Fund.

I am aware that there is concern about the decision to award £250,000 of the Fund to ‘Life’ a pro-life advocacy and education charity. I know that these concerns have also been raised by organisations such as the British Pregnancy Advisory Service who have argued that public money should not be given to an organisation that has a narrow political agenda and that seeks to restrict a woman’s choice after conception.

As you know, women have been taxed for purchasing sanitary products for decades because historically they were considered a 'luxury’. The UK’s ability to change the VAT on sanitary products is limited by European VAT law. However, in 2015, following pressure from the Opposition, charities and women across the country, the Government agreed use the revenue accrued from VAT on sanitary products to support women’s charities.

I believe this was a welcome step while the UK sought to change the VAT rules with the EU. There are many charities that have received from this fund that do incredible work to improve the lives of disadvantaged or vulnerable women in our constituency and across the country.

Since this fund was intended for women in need, I do not believe it is appropriate that such a large sum of money should be given to an ideological organisation such as ‘Life’.

Thank you once again for contacting me and for sharing your views, I can assure you that I will continue to follow this issue closely.

Yours sincerely,

Ronnie Campbell MP

bangs head against wall

Rainbows I will make you a deal I will try and wear a mooncup on my next period if i can come and sit on your sofa with it in!

Its not surprising though that pro life organisations are gaining access to schools when there is still such ingrained sexism in them.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2895459-Aibu-to-think-headmistress-is-living-in-la-la-land

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2895907-Girls-told-to-wear-longer-skirts-at-school-because-the-boys-are-distracted-and-male-teachers-feel-uncomfortable

Well done Ronnie Campbell MP.

YANBU. I've just signed the petition linked to at the top of p7 of this thread.

Absolutely disgusting that any government funding is going the way of those kind of loopers!

Irish and pro-choice here. We know what happens when the antis get their way and it's not a society I want to live in.

So MPs are happy to allow men to identify as women and to enter womens spaces despite risks to our safety and they also support pro-life causes. I wonder how they justify this.

So MPs are happy to allow men to identify as women and to enter womens spaces despite risks to our safety

Since when?

I was referring to Maria Miller's Bill, which most MPs contacted by members of FWR seem to support.

All that Bill would do would be to change one definition in the Equality Act. The protections in that Act would still be in place, notably the one that says it's perfectly legitimate to discriminate where there's a good reason for it - hence the fact that it's legitimate to keep men out of women's changing rooms, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centres etc. There is nothing in the Bill that would change that for trans women.

And given that it's highly unlikely that the Bill will ever become law, clearly it isn't the case that MPs as a body are happy with it.

Reviving this thread as the proposal has reared its very ugly head again with confirmation from the government that they are going ahead with it - www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/28/anti-abortion-life-charity-will-get--tampon-tax-funds.

For all that they justify this on the basis that the funds won't be used for counselling or education, it is of course very obvious that it will free up funds that will be used for precisely that purpose.