Brexit: England Abolishes EU ‘Tampon Tax’

The European Union tax on tampons has been abolished in the United Kingdom following the departure from the bloc at the end of the Brexit transition period.

Prior to Brexit, the United Kingdom was bound by EU law, which mandated that member-states charge at least a 5 per cent European Union value-added tax (VAT) on tampons, which were classified by the bloc as a ‘luxury item’ rather than an essential product.

The government announced on Friday, that as of January 1st, Britain will reduce the tax on tampons to zero per cent.

Announcing the measure, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “I’m proud that we are today delivering on our promise to scrap the tampon tax. Sanitary products are essential so it’s right that we do not charge VAT.”

“We have already rolled out free sanitary products in schools, colleges, and hospitals and this commitment takes us another step closer to making them available and affordable for all women,” Sunak added.

Though Parliament passed the removal of the VAT tax in the 2016 Finance Act, the government was unable to implement the tax reduction as it was bound by the EU VAT Directive.