Girls, do you remember the last time you treated yourself to a little luxury? I don’t mean that black denim, button front skirt from Topshop or that perfect cremesheen lipstick from MAC – I mean your period. According to the government, you are afforded a luxury every month when you’re “surfing the crimson wave,” in the words of the queen that is Cher Horowitz. So stop being so indulgent and put that skirt and lipstick back: you have luxurious Tampax to buy!
Today, the House of Commons voted to reject the finance bill amendment. The finance bill amendment would have forced negotiations with the EU to lower the VAT rate on sanitary products. Tampons and sanitary pads are taxed at a 5% VAT rate because they are deemed to be luxury items. It is currently necessary to tax sanitary products under EU law, however if the finance bill had not been rejected then it would have forced a negotiation with the EU to lower the tax.
(Photo credit: Media slice)
Hang on a second, you might say. I completely understand why tampons are regarded as a luxury, non-essential item. It is undeniable that it is the highlight of my month when I look at my calendar and choose the days on which it would be convenient for me to menstruate: it’s not as if my menstrual cycle is biologically controlled by my hormones or anything. I mean, obviously my weekly shop of crocodile meat, Jaffa cakes and edible sugar flowers will count as luxury items too though won’t they? Nope, you’ll be glad to hear that every night when you sit down to enjoy your medium rare crocodile steak followed by a dessert of Jaffa cakes adorned with edible sugar violets, those items are naturally deemed to be essential and are therefore untaxed.
The reality is that the tampon tax is about much more than a 5% tax. That 5% tax on your pad is symbolic of a much greater inequality that exists in society, a society where the needs of women are constantly being overlooked. Sanitary products are almost exclusively used by women and this demonstrates the massive gender inequality issue at the heart of this debate, as it then follows that this tax too almost exclusively applies to women. The fact that women are quite literally being taxed for having a uterus is both baffling and outrageous.
Some might say that there are cheaper alternative options to using sanitary pads and tampons such as reusable pads and menstrual cups. Although it is great that these options are available, should every woman not have the right to choose what suits herself and her body the best, as opposed to basing her decision on her financial situation? Additionally, the tax has an even more detrimental affect on some groups of women in particular, such as homeless women who often struggle to find sanitary products as they are so unaffordable.
So remember the next time you pop out to Sainsbury’s, there’s no need to treat yourself to that Beluga caviar or that bottle of Dom Perignon: you’re already basically the hedonistic Wolf of Clifton Down when you’ve thrown that box of Tampax Pearl into your basket!