Jersey's 'tampon tax' could be scrapped

Tampons and other period products could soon cost less in Jersey if politicians vote to scrap the tax.

5% GST is currently added to all menstrual products but critics argue they are not a luxury item and should be exempt like other medical supplies.

Jersey is the last place in the British Isles not to drop the tax after the UK and Isle of Man abolished it in 2021.

Senator Kristina Moore has lodged a proposition calling for an end to the so-called 'tampon tax'.

She said: "Periods are not opt-in! They are not something that is a choice and they are not a luxury. At present there are charities that provide menstrual projects in schools. However women should not have to turn to charity to deal with period poverty."

Period poverty refers to when people struggle to access sanitary items due to their cost - with the average woman spending up to £5,000 on them in her lifetime.

However, the island's Treasury Minister Deputy Susie Pinel says removing GST 'is not an appropriate way to make such products affordable for those on a lower-income."

In a statement, she said, "If the tax was removed from these products, the difference this would make would not be enough to make them materially more accessible to those on a low-income, while providing an unnecessary benefit to high-income households.

“The Government is looking at ways to provide targeted support which will be more beneficial than the removal of GST."

The issue will be debated by politicians at the end of April.