According to the BBC, the UK Government will announce today that the tax on period pants will be abolished. The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, will share the news in today’s Autumn Statement.
This news comes two years after the ‘tampon tax’ was abolished, with products like tampons, sanitary towels and menstrual cups becoming ‘zero rated’: where no VAT is applied. Period pants were not included in this exemption as they were classed as garments.
However, period pants are expected to be included following today’s statement.
Brands such as WUKA, Marks & Spencer and Nixi Body have been pushing for the decision through the Say Pants to the Tax campaign, delivering a letter to the Treasury with around 50 signatories in August.
“Period pants are not fashion items, nor are they a luxury,” said Nixi Body co-founder Kelly Newton. “They are essential items required by women to manage their everyday health effectively, comfortably and sustainably, so should have been made tax exempt alongside pads and tampons back in 2021.
“This is such an important development, not for the industry or manufacturers, but for consumers and for the planet.
“In today’s cost-of-living crisis, the issue of period poverty is on the rise, with around 21% of women and girls in the UK…
