LONDON (AP) – Britain on Friday became the last country to abolish the so-called “internal absorbent tax”, eliminating taxes on sales of women’s hygiene products.
The change was widely praised by defenders of women’s rights, as well as defenders of the country’s exit from the European Union.
Treasury chief Rishi Sunak pledged to end the largely unpopular tax on sanitary napkins and sanitary pads in his budget in March, but the change would not take effect until Friday, after Britain finally left the country. economic orbit of the European Union.
According to EU law, nations cannot reduce the rate of value added tax on menstrual products to below 5% as they are considered luxury items and are not essential. Ireland is the only EU country that does not charge a tax on health products, as its zero tax rate was in effect before the EU set its floor.
“Sanitary products are essential, so it is just that we do not charge VAT,” said Sunak. “We have already launched free health products in schools, colleges and hospitals and this commitment takes us one step further to make them available and accessible to all women.”
Britain has officially left the bloc’s vast single market for people, goods and services at 11 pm, London time on Thursday, giving you more space to define your own laws. A new trade agreement between the UK and the EU will bring new restrictions and bureaucracy, but for British Brexit advocates, that means claiming national independence from the EU and its rules. They pointed to the abolition of the buffer tax as an initial positive change from Brexit.
Britain’s treasury previously estimated that the change will save the average woman about £ 40 ($ 55) over her lifetime.
“It was a long way to get to this point, but finally, the sexist tax that considered sanitary products classified as non-essential and luxury can be relegated to history books,” said Felicia Willow, head of the Fawcett Society, an organization women’s rights charity.
Many other countries have also eliminated the tax on tampons, including Australia, Canada and India. In the United States, several states, including New York and Florida, have also waived the tax.
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