LONDON -- A Labour MP refused to continue a House of Commons debate until a squeamish Conservative MP vocalized exactly what the discussion was about: tampons.
Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, told Bill Cash, MP for Stone, that she would happily cede the floor to him if he could say the "actual products that we are discussing" aloud. She was referring to tampons and sanitary towels.
Cash had been calling them "these products" throughout the debate over a proposed amendment to the Finance Bill to renegotiate the 5% "tampon tax" imposed on them because they are "luxury" goods. He avoided saying the term for an hour and 15 minutes -- and then they kept talking about it for about another hour.
Tampongate https://t.co/llBn5Uxzy4— Cathy Newman (@cathynewman) October 27, 2015
Cash finally complies, to a round of cheers.
Creasy gave him props for doing so.
For the record would have also taken the term 'sanitary towel' as well as tampon...and he did say it! @cathynewman https://t.co/xo71aMzDzi— stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) October 27, 2015
MPs were debating an amendment that would have forced a negotiation with the European Union over reducing the 5% VAT rate on sanitary items. But MPs ended up voting down the amendment, 305 to 287.
On Tuesday, David Gauke, the financial secretary to the Treasury, said the government sympathised with Labour's efforts to force a negotiation and would raise the issue with the European Commission. The government says the VAT rate is the lowest allowed under EU law.
The issue is a rare one that has received cross-party support, albeit for different reasons. Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin said the situation was "an example of where the EU has taken over jurisdiction over our tax where it should not have."
Labour MP Paula Sherriff proposed the amendment. "It is absurd that tampons and sanitary towels are taxed as luxuries not essentials in Britain, and not treated as a 'public service activity' or medical provision by European law," she said. "Frankly VAT on tampons is the Vagina Added Tax. A tax on women, pure and simple.”
Other items not considered luxury items -- and, thus, are VAT-free -- include Jaffa Cakes, men's razors, pita bread and edible cake decorations.
The government didn't offer a timeline on it raising the issue with the EC, but in the meantime, the House of Commons exchange provided Twitter with a lot of amusement.
Stella Creasy forcing a Tory MP to say 'tampon' = this year's Halloween costume sorted. https://t.co/kK2FBrfpFs— Eva Wiseman (@EvaWiseman) October 27, 2015
Will someone please tell Bill Cash MP the word he is looking for is tampon, not 'ahem, products' #tampontax— Paula Sherriff MP (@paulasherriff) October 26, 2015
Stella Creasey MP says a tampon is not a luxury item. She says a tampon is like a jaffa cake and pitta bread.... a nessessity.— Mike D. W (@NMicreative) October 26, 2015