Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed that the tax would be scrapped (Picture: AFP)

The Chancellor has abolished the tampon tax in today’s budget.

Rishi Sunak trumpeted the end of VAT on sanitary products – a policy which has been widely criticised for years.

In a move that had been expected ahead of this afternoon’s budget, Mr Sunak said the tax would end at the end of the year, when Britain is set to leave the EU.

The newly-installed chancellor said: ‘I can also confirm, now that we have left the EU, that I will abolish the tampon tax. From January next year, there will be no VAT whatsoever on women’s sanitary products. I congratulate all members and right honourable members who campaigned for this.’


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Sanitary products are currently taxed as if they are luxury items (Picture: PA)

From January next year, there will be no VAT whatsoever on womenâs sanitary products. #Budget2020 pic.twitter.com/BPWKFTg8Lt — HM Treasury (@hmtreasury) March 11, 2020

Sanitary products are currently taxed as if they are a luxury product, rather than an essential one.



The move had already been welcomed by campaigners in anticipation of it being confirmed today.

The right group Plan International UK’s CEO Rose Caldwell said: ‘Today’s scrapping of the tampon tax is a landmark moment in the fight against period poverty, and it comes not a moment too soon.

‘The cost of period products remains one of the leading causes of period poverty alongside period stigma and a lack of education for young people about periods.

‘Our research shows that 40 per cent of girls have been forced to rely on toilet roll because they’ve struggled to afford period products. This mustn’t be allowed to continue.’

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