Scrapping of Tampon Tax a landmark moment in tackling period poverty

In response to the UK Government’s scrapping of the so-called Tampon Tax in today’s Budget, Rose Caldwell, CEO of Plan International UK, 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.

“While in recent years, the money raised by the tax has supported some fantastic projects - including our own Let’s Talk Period programme to address period poverty in England - the added cost unfairly penalises girls and women for the simple fact of having their period.

“We hope that as it scraps the tax, the Government will continue to invest in schemes that smash the stigma surrounding periods and improve period education in schools. Only in this way will we put an end to period poverty and stigma once and for all.”