The average woman buys, uses and then flushes away 11,000 tampons in her lifetime. A regular pack of 20 regular Tampax costs £3.14. This means that someone earning minimum wage must work approximately 38 full working days to pay for her lifetime’s supply.
David Cameron states that getting rid of the tampon tax will be "very difficult to do but I'll have to go away and have a look and come back to you”. Well it’s time for a response. The question is why are the Government still taxing sanitary products on luxurious, “non-essential” grounds?
The definition of luxury is "a state of great comfort or elegance, especially when involving great expense."
Well I would be delighted to know what is at all elegant or comfortable about a period?
It is absurd that whilst men's razors, children's nappies and even products like Jaffa Cakes, exotic meats and edible cake decorations are free from VAT. When women are still having to pay additional costs on what is already an expensive yet essential product.
As standing there is a 5% rate of VAT on sanitary items, this was reduced from 17.5% as originally introduced, by the men who signed the UK up to the European Economic Community in 1973. Gordon Brown who (very uncomfortably) cut this to 5% in 2000. Though still, 15 years later male MPs are struggling to even muffle the dreaded word "tampon" and instead opting for "these products" in a debate about the so-called “tampon tax”. Since only 29% of parliament is made up of women it goes to show of what happens when women are absent from the top table.
The opening of the tampon-gate has ponded me the issue; Why do we have to pay for sanitary products at all? Condoms are given out so willy nilly at schools, health clinics, and university front desks, so why should I have to 'always' fork out £4 every time mother nature calls. I mean Its not my fault I have a heavy flow and a wide set vagina.
The general taboo associated with period is a completely bazaar concept, the reality that half of the population endures them, yet men cant seem to slurr the word out; but some are quite happy to pay visit to the area of discussion any other time of the month.
Pads and Tampons are basic hygiene products. So why do I feel quite comfortable to pick up my original sources shower gel and a classic Collgate, but tend to swerve to the self checkout, to avoid any awkwardness between me and a male cashier when picking up the monthly supply?
Women’s needs obviously weren’t considered at all when this tax was introduced, come on bloody hell having a period depicts a healthy working woman, and the tax should be axed! But until these simple suits sort their shit out... go on treat yourself to a tampon as after all its nice to have a little bit of luxury now and then.
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