YOUR SAY: Should we have to pay tax on tampons?
Sanitary products are currently classed as a 'luxury item'. Crocodile steaks are not. And we're not happy about it.
There are many adjectives we could use to describe periods - painful, inconvenient, stressful - but we've never once heard a woman describe them as 'luxurious'.
So when we heard that the government is taxing sanitary products as 'non-essential, luxury items' (whilst other more obscure items, including edible sugar flowers and crocodile steaks, are tax exempt) we were furious about it - and we knew our users would be too.
We took to Facebook to get your views on the issue, and boy, did you have plenty to say...
We asked: What do you think - should the tax be abolished?
And here's what you told us:
Joy Dehany Yes it should be abolished!
Sonja Izaguirre Nonessential luxury item??!! I'm guessing a man made that decision!
Laura Jenkins Non essential? Seriously? Been saying for years they need to stop the tax on woman's products.
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Carry Dodge I guess I have been defining luxury totally wrong for over almost 30 years.......whatever was I thinking!
Andrea Holgate Stupid sods - so luxurious to be fresh and clean.
Sandra Webster Yeah it's sooooo luxurious, like being caressed by bunny rabbits noses - FFS
Some of you had strong opinions on the price of tampons...
Carrol Irwin I think they shud be free after all we never asked to have periods!
Karen Robinson We shouldn't have to pay for them at all........
Sue McDonough How about every woman sends their used ones to their local councillor to be recycled?? Save THOUSANDS every year. Comments please.....
'We never asked to have periods!'
Karen Robinson has her say on the tampon tax
...whilst others made a very valid point about contraception:
Jo Wilson They don't class condoms as 'luxury' items yet men can get them for free?!
Tracey Cockley Contraceptives are free but sanitary products not.....not fair!!
But there was one thing thing you all agreed on - the tax on tampons is ridiculous.
To sign the petition to stop sanitary products being taxed at a rate of 5%, visit https://www.change.org/p/george-osborne-stop-taxing-periods-period
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