Could This Be The End Of The Tampon Tax? Ministers Agree To Lobby EU Bigwigs

The British government will finally lobby the EU to do away with the 5% VAT currently levied on sanitary products, a penalty that is being called ‘Vagina Added Tax’.

Women pay 5% VAT on tampons and sanitary items since the last Labour government cut the rate from 17.5% to 5%. The government says it can’t get rid of the tax altogether because the current EU rules do not allow it.

Campaigners have been lobbying for the abolition of the Tampon Tax, which sees sanitary products taxed as ‘luxury items’ while essential items like private jets and crocodile meat are not. Over 250,000 people have signed a petition against the Tampon Tax.

Paula Sherriff, the Labour MP who campaigned for the amendment, explained, “Frankly VAT on tampons is the Vagina Added Tax. A tax on women, pure and simple. Periods are a fact of life and it’s not like women have a choice.”

The agreement to negotiate with Brussels came after MPs voted against a Finance Bill amendment that sought to abolish the tax.

However the defeat of 305 votes to 287 nearly didn’t happen; a number of Conservative MPs refused to vote with the government unless it offered to open negotiations with the EU to have the tax removed.

Treasury Minister David Gauke said: “Any change to EU VAT law would require a proposal from the European commission and the support of all 28 member states. Without that agreement, we are not permitted to lower rates below 5%.

“Nonetheless, as this debate illustrates, there is very considerable cross-party support for the UK to abolish VAT on sanitary products.

“I will raise this issue with the European commission and other member states setting out our views that it should be possible for member states to apply a zero rate to sanitary products.”

Did you campaign against the Tampon Tax? Tell us your story over on @YahooStyleUK.

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