Tampon tax: Calls for Jersey to make period products tax free

Jersey charges what is known as tampon tax - 5% GST on all menstrual products in the island

There are calls for menstrual products to be tax free in Jersey, which is currently the only place in the British Isles to tax them.

The 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST) is levied on sales of goods and services.

Medical supplies are exempt from GST, while menstrual products are not as they are considered a luxury item.

Removing tax from menstrual products would be "incredibly difficult", Jersey's treasury minister has previously said.

In 2021, Scotland became the first place in the world to offer sanitary products free of charge and the UK and Isle of Man removed the 20% Value Added Tax (VAT) from menstrual products.

Senator Kristina Moore said it was not right for Jersey's government to tell those in need to "seek charitable support" to cope with period poverty

"Simply unacceptable"

Senator Kristina Moore said Jersey's government should change its GST rules to join the 21st Century: "It would be a big step for Jersey to start implementing GST exemptions for certain products.

"Prescription medication is not that far away from sanitary products, and therefore there could be some potential for a future treasury minister to expand that to encompass period products."

Ms Moore said women should not have to turn to charity to deal with period poverty.

"Poverty affects people across the island of all ages and so it's really very difficult to say that their alternative is to seek charitable support, it is not really in our DNA to tell people their only option is charitable funding, it is simply unacceptable.

"We have a food costs bonus, we have a fuel cost bonus for people who are receiving income support, and I think perhaps it's time that we had a period products bonus, so that people could at least received some relief for that cost," she said.

Treasury Minister Deputy Susie Pinel said removing tax from menstrual products would be "incredibly difficult"

In a scrutiny panel meeting held last year, Jersey's treasury minister rejected calls for removing GST from menstrual items.

Deputy Susie Pinel said: "I am not a believer in exemptions to GST and any exemption is almost impossible to try to work out - what is a Jaffa cake and what is a biscuit?

"I think the steering away from relief of GST on those products at this present time would be incredibly difficult."

The minister said her decisions were in the interests of keeping the taxation scheme simple to administer.

Mrs Pinel has not commented on the issue since that panel and declined to take part in a BBC interview on the subject.

The government's website said there was "insufficient local data" to assess whether the issue of period poverty - the lack of access to sanitary products due to financial constraints - exists in Jersey, or to measure the extent to which it affected Islanders.

It also said the cost of period products had seen "limited consideration" in States or Scrutiny meetings.

Jersey's youth assembly debated the issue in 2021, arguing that period products are essential and cannot be considered luxury items as "menstruation does not happen by choice".

Jasmine Beaumont was the author behind a 2021 petition calling for period products go made free for all, which received more than 2,000 signatures.

She said she wanted to help those who suffer from period poverty.

"The fact that so many people supported the petition blew my mind, I thought maybe a couple of people would see it but it blew up really quickly and I didn't expect it," she said.

The government responded to the petition in December by saying it "could not commit" to the same approach of Scotland.

Miss Beaumont said although she was disappointed the petition didn't go to the States Assembly, islanders will "just have to fight a bit harder".

"It is an issue that affects all women, if they have wives or daughters, sisters or family members with ovaries they will all at some point in their lives be having periods," she said.

In response to the petition, the government said: "Free period products are currently provided in 28 schools in Jersey by the Red Box Project and have been since 2019.

"It will be important to work with those schools and the Red Box Project to understand uptake amongst school pupils before any decision can be made by the States Assembly to endorse free provision of period products.

The Minister for Social Security Deputy Judy Martin asked officers to conduct further research on the issues and report the findings to the States Assembly.

More than 370 students responded and the government said officers were "currently working through the results", which were set to be presented "before the end of this government's term", which ends in June.

In 2019, the Red Box Project started to provided in boxes to Jersey schools, stores and cafes

"Not opt-in"

The Red Box Project Jersey has not responded to requests for comments, but when the government responded to the petition it said it welcomed "any opportunity to work with local government to make free period products a reality".

The group said: "We know that the barriers to accessing free products extend beyond financial ones, they are complex and like other gendered issues, seldom spoken about.

"Periods are not opt-in, they aren't a luxury or a choice and they shouldn't be taxed as such.

"Jersey is the only place left in the British Isles to not get rid of the taxation on menstrual products... Jersey can and must do better."

Analysis by Freddie Miller, Political Reporter, BBC Jersey

There have been plenty of political debates over the past 15 years on exempting certain goods from GST.

Many have involved at least one States member raising the question of whether a certain chocolate-covered, orange-flavoured sponge bite is a biscuit or a cake.

And while the answer to that undoubtedly important question remains a source of controversy, the point they have all made is that if exemptions are introduced, it might not be clear where the line should be drawn.

Some islanders certainly agree with that stance.

But for many, when it comes to menstrual products, that argument simply doesn't make sense.

And now Jersey finds itself out of step with the rest of the British Isles on this issue - a detail which could prove key in future debates.

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