Jersey’s social security minister has dismissed calls to eliminate goods and services tax on menstrual products, stating that such action would be counterproductive. Senator Elaine Millar argued that the financial benefit of removing the 5% GST would be minimal, calculating that a consumer spending £5 monthly on sanitary products would save approximately 25 pence through tax removal compared to the full £5 savings available through the government’s free distribution program.
The government introduced its free period product scheme in October 2022, making sanitary items available at various public locations including government buildings and public toilets. The initiative has cost more than £500,000 since its inception. In exchange for implementing this program, the government reversed a previous political decision to eliminate the GST on these products. Millar contended that individuals facing affordability or accessibility challenges have adequate recourse through the existing free scheme and that expanding access to free products addresses underlying concerns more comprehensively than a tax reduction would.
Advocates for removing the tax, including representatives from women’s organizations, dispute this assessment. Debbie Taylor, president of Soroptimist International Jersey, characterized the continued taxation as emblematic of broader inequality and suggested that even modest savings would be worthwhile for consumers. Taylor also noted that the current government includes more female representatives than previously, presenting what she views as an opportune moment to reconsider the policy. When questioned about her position on a 2022 proposition to remove the GST, Millar stated she would not have supported it based on her belief that it would produce no meaningful benefit.
Jersey remains the sole jurisdiction in the British Isles that applies tax to sanitary products. Currently, GST exemptions apply to financial services, insurance, postal services, medical supplies, prescription medicines, charitable supplies, registered childcare, certain burial and cremation services, and school fees.
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