The abolition of VAT on tampons and sanitary napkins entered into force on Friday in the United Kingdom, the government stressing that the measure is made possible by the country's exit from the European Union.
With the end of the transitional period following Brexit on January 31, the UK is no longer required by EU laws to impose a minimum 5% tax on hygienic products.
Read also: The UK has started its new post-Brexit life
“
I am proud that today we are keeping our promise to eliminate the stamp tax.
Hygienic products are essential, so it is normal not to charge VAT,
”said in a statement the Minister of Finance, Rishi Sunak, who announced the measure in his budget in March.
During Wednesday's debates in parliament on the post-Brexit trade deal, Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin stressed that the government “
can do things like abolish the stamp tax, for which so many opposition MPs have criticized the government, only because we are leaving the EU.
"
A saving of 45 euros over "a lifetime"
Felicia Willow, Executive Director of the Fawcett Society, a society for the defense of women's rights, welcomed the change.
“
It's been a long road to get there, but the sexist tax that saw hygiene products classified as luxury, non-essentials, may finally be relegated to the history books
,” she said.
The finance ministry had estimated that removing VAT would save a woman around 40 pounds (45 euros) over her lifetime.
Periodic protections have already been distributed in public schools and universities in England for a year as well as to patients who need them in public hospitals.
Scotland went further last November, with MPs passing a law allowing free access to sanitary protection, a world first on this scale.
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