Tesco pledges to reduce cost of sanitary products by 5% to cover 'tampon tax'
The move will effectively cover the cost of the current VAT, which is not due to be removed until 2018
Tesco has announced plans to reduce the cost of sanitary products by 5% with immediate effect – essentially covering the controversial tampon tax themselves.
Tesco is the first brand to commit to the landmark strategy, and women's rights activists have expressed optimism that other supermarkets will follow suit.
Sanitary products have been classed as a luxury item and up until last year were taxed at 17.5%. An online petition that gained over 320,000 signatures and subsequent parliamentary debate saw it reduced to 5%, but then-Prime Minister David Cameron expressed that it could not be lowered any further due to EU law.
However, last year Cameron was able to convince EU ministers to drop the VAT on these products, but the new ruling won't come into effect until 2018 at the earliest.
Tesco's new measure will effectively bring the VAT reduction to fruition immediately, and will apply to own label products as well as bigger name brands.
'For many of our customers, tampons, panty liners and sanitary towels are essential products,' said Michelle McEttrick, Tesco's group brand director. 'However, the cost of buying them every month can add up, and, for many women and girls, it can be a real struggle on top of other essential items.'
'That's why – as a little help for our customers – we are reducing the cost of these products by 5 per cent.'
GoodtoKnow Newsletter
Parenting advice, hot topics, best buys and family finance tips delivered straight to your inbox.
Labour MP for Dewsbery Paula Sherriff, who has spearheaded the campaign for reducing the tampon tax in Parliament, is pleased with the decision, and hopes that it will encourage other brands to follow suit.
'It would have been completely unacceptable if abolishing the tampon tax had just led to big businesses boosting their bottom line at the expense of women buying what are essential goods, which is why we pushed the supermarkets to sign up to a deal to pass the cut on,' she said. 'But this goes a step even further, by reducing prices right now – and I hope the other big retailers now consider doing the same.'
Trusted, informative, and empathetic – GoodToKnow is the ultimate online destination for mums. Established in 2007, our 15-year-strong archive of content includes more than 18,000 articles, 1,500 how-to videos, and 7,000 recipes.
-
How to play with Barbie dolls: 6 ways to use the iconic doll as a positive role model at home
If you have a little one who loves to play with Barbie, there are lots of positive ways in which you can encourage them to play in a way that helps their development and self-esteem. We’ll show you how.
By Joanne Lewsley Published
-
Think you're raising a mini-me? It's actually unlikely your child will inherit your personality and could have a temperament closer to a 'random stranger', according to new study
If you often hear the phrase 'like mother like daughter,' or 'like father like son,' research suggests you're actually only slightly more likely to share familial traits than with strangers.
By Lucy Wigley Published