Women’s Rights: The End of Tampon Tax

Kira Lomas reports on the UK government’s abolishing of the tampon tax, a longstanding issue and unequal measure that has faced backlash from women’s rights activists and campaigners since 2001.

Photo by Josefin

One biological and natural process women experience every month is menstruation: it’s uncontrollable, overwhelming and stressful. Along with all the often insufferable physical symptoms the female body endures during this time – cramps, mood swings, fatigue, etc. – there is also extra financial pressure placed on being able to afford the appropriate period products.

The regular costs include sanitary towels, tampons, period pain relief, as well as other mood lifting pleasures such as chocolate to satisfy increased hunger cravings. From a feminine perspective, there is no denying that these items are charged at questionable prices, igniting a feeling of injustice and desperation amongst the poorest of women.

Therefore, the decision by the UK government to finally end the tampon tax has been praised by activist Laura Coryton – who has dedicated herself to achieving menstrual equity since the age of 21 – as a historical move in “ending a symptom of sexism’’, and one which will hopefully benefit women on low incomes by lessening the burden of paying for period items.

Sanitary Savings

The tampon tax is an umbrella term that refers to the 5% VAT applied to the sales of menstrual hygiene products classified by the European Union as luxury, non-essential items – a classification which has faced strong discontent from unprecedented numbers of women around the globe.

The taxation on menstruation has been profusely criticised as part of a wider issue of gendered tax policies which send a discriminatory message to society on women’s bodily functions. The discourse attached to period products as luxuries, not necessities, implies a sense of pleasure or comfort that almost all women would agree is simply not the case. Looking at this discourse more closely, it is clear that there is a definite misconception, or lack of attention, towards menstrual hygiene products within many countries' tax systems.

Estimates suggest that the average woman is expected to have approximately 450 periods in her lifetime, spending around £10-11 a month on purchasing menstrual hygiene products, and £128 a year in total. These statistics not only expose the enormous amounts of money women are spending on period products, but further reinforce the underlying fact that women’s health is not prioritised or taken seriously within discussions surrounding taxation.

However, with the new implementation of the tax exemption, women will see an immediate reduction in their monthly outgoings on period essentials, saving around £40 over a lifetime. With this tampon tax in effect, credit has to be given to Laura Coryton, who initiated the Stop Taxing Periods campaign in 2014, gaining remarkable levels of support – with more than 300,000 signatures on her petition.

“Ending tampon tax is about so much more than this price drop, although that is of course very important particularly to people struggling with rising levels of poverty. It's about ending a symptom of sexism that has cemented the period taboo for decades.” – Laura Coryton, founder of Stop Taxing Periods Campaign

Not only has her dedication to challenging the tampon tax influenced government policy, it has also demonstrated how change can be induced by the power of online platforms such as change.org, which allow people to voice their opinions on issues deemed to be disadvantageous and discriminatory.

Period Poverty and the Pandemic

Whilst the tampon tax may not seem like a noticeable difference in savings for female buyers, it will have a positive impact particularly on those who come from low-income families struggling with rising levels of poverty, where young girls are forced to resort to unsanitary means to control their periods, using rags, toilet paper or socks that will absorb the blood flow, for example.

These stressful occurrences are supported by a survey conducted in 2017 by a charity called Plan International UK, which discovered that 1 in 10 girls had been unable to afford sanitary products, as well as having to be resourceful in their sanitary wear. This highlights that period poverty is having detrimental effects on the wellbeing and livelihood of women in this country: period poverty can be extremely distressing and humiliating for women, inhibiting them from going to work or school, and ultimately limiting their access to opportunities for success.

Furthermore, in light of the global pandemic, period poverty has surged in the UK, according to the Bloody Good Period charity, which has supplied 53,000 products to people struggling to obtain menstrual products – including NHS frontline workers, homeless shelters, women fleeing domestic violence and refugees. Women in these vulnerable groups and positions are relying heavily on the support of charities and community help to ease the demoralising aspects and hardship of the pandemic by being comforted in the fact that there are places to go to where period products will be easily accessible.

The ending of the tampon tax, as Laura Coryton says, is about so much more than just saving money on menstrual products: it reflects a progressive move in promoting a positive image surrounding women’s bodily functions. As an issue which has received impoverished media and political attention, this change is essential in building the next step towards ending period poverty, and creating a safer and fairer world for women.

Article on a similar topic: The Ethical Concerns of the Cosmetics Industry

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