A STOUT defence of his decision to vote against a proposal to abolish the so called ‘tampon tax’ has been given by Mid-Worcestershire MP Nigel Huddleston.
The tax, which means women pay a five per cent VAT levy on sanitary products – classified as “non-essential luxury items” by the EU – was the subject of a vote in the House of Commons in which MPs voted 305 to 287 against the motion to scrap the tax.
Speaking after the vote, Mr Huddleston said: “I agree entirely that sanitary products should not have any VAT on them whatsoever. What’s more, I would hope that nobody would think that sanitary products were a luxury item.
“I do however feel I should set the record straight on this issue as there has been lots of misinformation about the recent vote.
“Had I voted for the amendment, and had it been carried, this would have changed nothing. As a member of the EU, the UK cannot unilaterally zero-rate any item from VAT without each of the 28 other country members of the EU, and the European Commission, giving their approval.
“The lowest the VAT rate can be set without this approval is five per cent. This is the current VAT rate for sanitary products. There are some products which attract a zero rate of VAT in the UK but these levels were negotiated many years ago when the harmonisation rules were agreed between EU member states.
“During the debate the Minister representing the Government said he would raise the issue with the European Commission and with other member states, and set out the view, which was reflected in the debate, that it should be possible for a member state to apply a zero-rate to sanitary products.
“It would have been misleading and wrong of me to have voted for the amendment raised on sanitary products knowing full well that a change in regulations would not have been brought about in this way.”
Currently, tampons are subjected to EU tax for not being considered essential, meaning women are charged a government fee to purchase them as well as the costs incurred by retailers. As of 2000, the VAT on tampons and sanitary towels fell from 17.5 per cent to five per cent following a campaign by Labour MP Dawn Primarolo.
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