Jersey minister calls for sanitary products tax removal

The social security minister wants the government to reconsider removing GST from sanitary products

Jersey's social security minister wants the government to reconsider removing GST from sanitary products.

Deputy Lyndsay Feltham said she would put it on agendas for future discussion although it was not "within my remit".

In April 2022, a proposition to remove the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from sanitary products was approved by the States but was rescinded in 2023.

The Government of Jersey said it had nothing to add to the minister's comments.

After the proposition was rescinded the government said it would instead provide free sanitary products at various locations across the island.

Islanders have since complained about the lack of products being available in dispensers.

Deputy Lyndsay Feltham said she hoped the government could work towards providing both the scheme and potentially no GST on sanitary products

Prior to being elected as the new social security minister in January, Ms Feltham said the scheme was disrespectful to women because products were not being made available.

She said she still agreed with that sentiment.

She said: "I think that when we tell women products will be available to take what they need when they need, there is an expectation that the products will be at the locations listed.

"To this date, I can't guarantee that those products are going to be there for all sorts of various reasons."

Ms Feltham said she hoped the government could work towards providing both the scheme and removing GST on sanitary products.

She added: "It is, in fact, the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO), that in order to address period poverty, you need to look at all of those particular elements.

"I think that the project itself is getting better - we've got some way to go though."

Dispenser vandalism risks

To help improve the scheme, new sanitary product dispensers have been ordered.

Ms Feltham said: "Within the next week, we will be receiving some new dispensers to be put into the public toilets to try and mitigate some of the risks around the vandalism and also some of the mess that has been created by the open boxes, but also to ensure a steadier supply of products within those public toilets.

She added the trial period for the scheme had been extended and focus groups were being held with women to "find out how the scheme can better suit their needs, and what we can do as a government to tackle period poverty".

Mark Cox said the Coop had been able to "provide improved access" to the products since joining the government scheme

The Coop has been providing free sanitary products at four of its pharmacies since December.

Before it joined the scheme, CEO Mark Cox had described it as "clearly not efficient".

Mr Cox said it had since been able to "provide improved access" to the products, and that it was "really pleased with the response" and uptake.

He said: "I think we all recognise having dignity in terms of picking up these kinds of products is really important, and what we wanted to do was help government, because we really do think it's a great initiative.

"By providing improved access to that free period product, it means people can take advantage of what is a great scheme."

Mr Cox said the removal of GST should apply to all basic products, which included sanitary products.

He said: "I think that with any basic product they shouldn't be taxed, and Coop has long held the view that food shouldn't be taxed and certainly period products shouldn't be taxed.

"What we've seen in the UK is that VAT has been removed off period products because that's easy to do alongside not taxing food, and government here should take the same approach."

Katie Rogers said the dispensers were usually empty, and that was "quite bad"

'It's not working'

Islander Katie Rogers said not having products fully stocked in the dispensers was "just bad".

She said: "I go to Guernsey quite a lot and the first thing I notice over there is sanitary products just constantly full in every single toilet and over here there's hardly anything anywhere.

"Women should be able to access that whenever they want... It's not working at all."

Aimee Merritt said she did not use the scheme as "I normally bring my own, I just have them in my bag anyway", and Karen Bird said when she went to the Butterfly Cafe - one of dozens of locations in the scheme - as "the products were fully available" to the public.

Jenny McCarthy said it is "not our decision" to menstruate, and that products should be free to all

Jenny McCarthy said she thought the scheme was "amazing".

She said: "We don't choose to menstruate, it's not our decision to but it is part of being a woman.

"I just feel like having access to free period products is really important - not everybody has the money to pay for it and it is expensive.

"If you happen to be not very wealthy or are struggling with your money, you can't choose to use period products or not, so I'm a big fan."

Ms McCarthy added that if the dispensers were empty, "then that's not really good enough".

"In order to have a scheme where Jersey is providing free products it has to be implemented properly otherwise it's all very well and good saying that the government are going to do it but then it has to be done, otherwise you're saying one thing and not providing it," she said.

For now, Jersey remains the only place in the British Isles to charge a tax on sanitary products.