The South West MEP and European Conservative Leader Ashley Fox has welcomed a deal reached to remove women’s sanitary products from VAT.
The issue was first raised in March last year by Mr Fox who questioned why the EU Commission had not zero-rated the products (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+WQ+E-2015-005214+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=en).
Mr Fox said, “These products are essentials and not luxuries and never should have had VAT imposed on them in first place, common sense has prevailed.”
At the European Council summit in Brussels, the 28 leaders agreed a statement welcoming “the intention of the Commission to include proposals for increased flexibility for member states with respect to reduced rates of VAT, which will provide the option to member states of VAT zero-rating sanitary products”.