The Ständerat decides today whether the value-added tax on feminine hygiene products should be reduced. The tax cut has become a political issue. SP politician Regula Müller thinks that menstruation must be de-tabooized. (German)

26 comments

  1. One of these issues that ~~perfect~~ make perfect sense as long as you’re reading just the headline. Taxing tampons the same as medicines instead of the same as luxury items? Who could be against that?

    But then you look into it and realise that tampons are also in the same bracket as toilet paper, glasses and diapers. Why tampons should be taxed less than diapers is much cless clear.

  2. I am not sure in what century Regula Müller lives in but in my world feminine hygiene products literally sit in every shelf of every supermarket in plain sight. Also those products are already being taxed like other essentials.

    What am I missing?

  3. I completely agree with this. I’m a guy but menstrual products should be taxed the same way as other essentials such as food.

    That said, this should also be the case for toilet paper, soap, diapers, etc. These should all be labelled essential products. Glasses, up to a point (so luxury brands such as Gucci frames cannot be included) should also be counted as essential and be taxed the same way as food.

  4. Shall they use newspaper. Those are taxed 2.5%.

    The problem with reducing the tax rate is less the direct financial impact, but what else should be have the lower tax rates, like:

    Toothbrushes, diapers, prescription glasses, crutches, bandages, caskets, urns, even prosthetics are all taxed with 7.7%. Suddenly the financial impact becomes non negligible, which would mean the tax rate of all other products must be increased. VAT is already a non-social tax which hits those with a low income, barely making ends meet considerably more than the wealthy.

  5. Why make it complicated when you could make it easy? Get rid of VAT and replace it with a microtax on financial transactions.

  7. We need to reevaluate the taxing of a lot of things, not only this. Because even as a woman, I don’t really care what I’m taxed with, it’s not that high. For a package that costs 6CHF, it’s not even 50 rappen with the full tax.

  8. Women should not be paying for those products. It‘s 2023 come on. And paternity leave should be equal to maternity leave and both should not be less then 1 whole year. No Wonder why having a baby nowadays is considered a luxury.

  10. It should be noted that the VAT was introduced as a replacement of the 1 January 1995 the goods turnover tax (WUSt) levied until then and was expanded in 1998 to relieve the AHV/IV.

    In Switzerland, 26 different exemptions have been introduced since the introduction of VAT in 1995. Federal Councilor Kaspar Villiger already complained about the ever-increasing number of exemptions.

    As early as mid-February 2006, the Federal Council decided that the VAT law should undergo a total revision.

    There are simply too many exceptions in the tax rates.
    There are various efforts to simplify the tax rates (at the end of June 2008, the Federal Council proposed a uniform rate of 6.1 percent) or to abolish VAT completely in order to relieve low-income earners and reduce the administrative burden. The VAT is practically a payroll tax, especially for labor-intensive service companies. Its abolition would greatly increase the demand for simpler work. It would thus be an effective means of combating unemployment and the progressive impoverishment of low-skilled workers.

  11. Honestly, period products should be tax free, how this stuff is taxed is beyond me. Ein Armutszeugnis wenn man das so sagen darf.

  12. This should not be a political issue whatsoever, menstruation products are must/essential hygiene products and it definitely should not be tabooized ever.

  14. This problem will be solved very quickly with the woke mob approaching: very soon we will learn that men also can menstruate, so this will not be a feminine only issue anymore. As this will affect both men and women, it will become a non issue.

  18. Seems like a nobrainer to me. Women simply need to buy those products. The tax isn’t a big deal financially considering it’s only 250 Fr. Hasn’t really crossed my mind before but having to spend 4500 Fr. on hygiene products simply because you’re a woman is not nice.

    It’s like you have to deal with your period which sucks, then pay a lot of money for it too and not even get a lower tax.

    Removing the tax will give some small financial relief but more importantly it gets rid of one of those things that just seem “dumb” for no reason. Feels like a win for everyone.

    Only downside I see is that producers will simply jack up prices and in the end women still pay the same but also we have less tax money. Just looks like companies always win.

  20. Tampons should definitly be in the same tax bracket as all other hygiene product. That is already the case. This proposal, to lower the tax rate for feminime hygiene products and only feminime hygiene products is kinda sexist.

  21. All necessary/unavoidable hygiene products should be covered and paid for through Healthcare or equivalent institution in one way or the other in a healthy society. At least some forms of them.

    Same goes for razors and basic soap products, imho.

    We got to do better.

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