For example, do period hygiene products get a full tax or a smaller one? Are there free pads and tampons available at schools? Do gynecologists give out menstrual cups for girls? Are periods in general a hush-hush topic or is it seen as a normal bodily function?

16 comments

  4. Nothing is free in Switzerland, and that rule applies to menstrual utensils, too. No, schools or gynecologists don’t hand them out, women have to buy them. Pads, tampons, cups etc. are subject to the full VAT tax of 7.7%, no discounts.

    Eh… I guess it depends who you talk to but I don’t really hear people talk about menstruation in public so I suppose it is kind of a taboo.

  5. In the UK we abolished taxation on all period products last year, and introduced free pads & tampons in schools and hospitals. It was known as the tampon tax, but applied to all period products.

    “tampon tax abolished – from today (1 Jan 2021) VAT no longer applies to women’s sanitary products
    part of wider government action to End Period Poverty which includes the roll out of free sanitary products in schools, colleges and hospitals
    move made possible by end of the transition period and freedom from EU law mandating VAT on sanitary products”
    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tampon-tax-abolished-from-today

    Massive shout out to Scotland. In the UK, health is a devolved issue, meaning each country of the UK governs its own health service. Scotland decided that periods are a health issue, and that the Scottish government will give out free period products if you want them! (Period poverty can actually result in bad health outcomes, eg toxic shock from using a tampon too long).

  6. Ireland already has zero VAT on sanitary products and providing free sanitary products is being talked about.

    [Lidl Ireland](https://www.lidl.ie/period-poverty) actually already have an initiative with charities and Ladies Gaelic Football to provide free period products to people who need them

    Edit: Individually, some girls might be shy and some guys might be grossed out or embarrassed by them but overall, I don’t think periods are majorly hush hush topic.

  7. Taxed already very low, 10%, like books or milk. This megapacks of tampons with 100 or so pieces in it are 3 Euros in drug stores/supermarkets. That’s the price of a single ice cream cone, for comparison.

    I don’t know if any gyns give specifically menstrual cups (why menstrual cups?), but I think most still do that „1st visit goodie bag“ thing today.

    Free pads/tampons in my SIL‘s school resulted in a emergency call to the plumber, because the girls decided to unwrap and stuff them all down the drains… for fuck knows what reason. And that’s a upstanding, private „we lead by example“ school. One of the girls was the kid of a Green Party higher-up. So there’s that.

    I can’t remember periods ever being a hus-hush topic, I am from the teen magazine generation.

  8. In Germany, the reduced VAT of 7% on period products such as tampons or sanitary pads has applied since the end of 2019, instead of the full VAT of 19%.

  9. TL;DR : Some of the contraceptive pills (1st and 2nd gen), IUDs, diaphragms and morning-after pills are free since 01/01/2022 for any woman in France under the age of 25. Before that, it was free only for minors, and reimbursed at 65% by the Social Security (and the rest handled by private insurance/the buyer). Women over 25 (which is the maximum age to be on your parent’s private insurance aka “mutuelle”) only get this partial reimbursment

    But feel free to correct me on this one.

  10. There’s been some talk about lowering the tax but currently they’re taxed the full 24 % VAT. Helsinki decided last year to try out giving free period products in schools.

  12. In Spain they have the reduced 10% type (21% is the general one, 4% the super-reduced one and finally the ones that are VAT-exempt).

    Not sure about free pads/tampons in schools nowadays, but I do think menstrual cups are becoming a thing and there’s quite a lot of information out here about them (I do know a lot of girls who have tried them or are using them regularly).

    About the hush-hush topic… I wouldn’t say it isn’t anymore or at least I don’t have that perception.

  13. Tampons other protections have a reduced vat since 2015, as they were put on the list of basic necessities (that list somehow includes theater and concerts?!). So now it’s 5,5% instead of 20%.

    (Of course it was rejected a first time before, because according to our politicians it was not more essential than shaving cream…)

    There is some debate about having 0% tax on basic necessities, I doubt it will happen but then period products would be included.

    As for schools, in those I went to the nurse would give pads/tampons if needed (and condoms in high school), but that’s not a thing everywhere.

  14. It’s 25% VAT on it here. But more and more schools and workplaces are starting to provide free period products. I know that in my county they recently decided to provide free period products in all their restrooms both in schools and healthcare places.

    I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a super taboo and hush hush topic but I definitely think it should be normalized and more comfortable to talk about it.

  15. 25% tax like most everything else except food which is 15%. Naturally there has been talks about reducing or removing it, but AFAIK nothing has been done yet.

  16. I’m not sure if this is nation wide or just my city but teenagers can now get protection and menstrual producs for free.

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