Are menstrual towels and tampons luxury items and should they be taxed accordingly? There’s a worldwide discussion going on about this subject. Illustrator Gemma Correll drew a cartoon which clearly shows which side she supports.
In the UK, tampons and menstrual towels are considered a luxury item. At least, they’re taxed on luxurious, ‘non-essential’ grounds. Strangely, extravagant goods such as helicopters, crocodile steaks and edible sugar flowers are not. Is this fair? A lot of people think it isn’t. Laura Coryton is one of them. The 21-years-old student started a Stop Taxing Periods campaign to get rid of the 5% luxury tax on menstrual products, claiming they are essential products.
Cartoonist, illustrator and writer Gemma Correll created this cartoon about the high tax on menstrual products. Her illustrations can be found anywhere. Correll has worked for Hallmark, The New York Times, Oxford University Press, Chronicle Books and The Observer and is pretty active on social media. She has published A Cat’s Life, A Pug’s Guide to Etiquette and The Worrier’s Guide to Life.
See also:
Not on Instagram
The period annual review
#Livetweetyourperiod
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