The British government is being urged to eradicate the VAT applied to period pants.
Despite the removal of the ‘tampon tax’ — the 20% tax formerly applied to all sanitary products in the UK — in 2020, period pants, which are being endorsed as an eco-conscious alternative to tampons and pads, are still taxed.
Period pants are reusable, which means that they can save customers money in the long-term and help to reduce plastic waste. Multiple-use menstrual cups, which have been exempt from VAT since 2021, are also being encouraged as a conscious alternative.
Read Next
Recent research released by Marks & Spencer and Wuka calculated that their customers combined had paid more than £3 million in VAT on period pants. A survey of 268 women aged 18 to 54, conducted in July 2023, found that 23% of respondents cited cost as a reason for not using period pants, with 83% in favour of dropping VAT from the products.
The open letter to the government in support of the eradication of VAT on period pants has been signed by 35 MPs and peers, the CEOs of M&S and Ocado, the publisher of Hello! magazine and several charities and non-profit organisations, including Breast Cancer Now, the Marine Conservation Society and Forum for the Future. Campaigners have also set up a petition for members of the public to show their support, which has currently received just shy of 8,000 signatures.
Naomi May is a seasoned culture journalist and editor with over ten years’ worth of experience in shaping stories and building digital communities. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard, where she worked across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Digital Editor at ELLE Magazine and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. Naomi is also the host of the ELLE Collective book club.
