Sanitary wear

Ok.  Not your usual subject and probably a bit of a turn off. But we were watching that BBC Parliament live again this week and the subject came up in a debate. I know. We are sad. But we have fun rating the MPs performances (marks out of 10 for speaking clearly, saying something sensible, etc).
Anyway, back to the subject. I vaguely remember some time ago the debate on VAT being on these ladies products (including incontinence) and thought it had all been sorted. There had been a TV campaign recently on in-affordability but I thought that was about poverty and food banks etc. So I was surprised to learn the UK still charges 5% tax for being a woman!!!!

Apparently, we got into this mess because the EU made us charge VAT on luxury goods and these products according to them are a luxury item.  Gordon Brown (good lord, I am praising HIM?) went against the EU and reduced the rate to 5% but as we are still under EU regulations and cannot just get rid of it until we leave the EU (roll on March). The EU promised reform years ago and have done nothing about it.  Some supermarkets apparently absorbed the tax and have not put prices up. No one would know what we are paying since the VAT is not marked on the goods or on your receipts. We were in Ireland recently where the supermarket did show taxes paid, and it did show with a star which items were solely produced in Ireland and which were imported. What a good idea!

The debate this week was about UK taking back and reforming our VAT legislation. There were lots of other "daft" things that needed reform and would not cost the government but would make the general public a lot better off. One was scrapping the 5% tax on heating fuels. We paid £60 tax on our last purchase of heating oil.  A weeks grocery money.

I am not in the consistency of the proposing MP for this Bill in Parliament (Christchurch in Dorset) but if I was he would have by support. I may write to my MP and demand he supports this Bill for VAT reform!!

The BBC have an article and a calculator in it about how much tax you may have paid since 1973 on these products. I think it is a bit under calculated but I would not mind having my £200 contribution back (please).