M&S has called on ministers to scrap VAT on period underwear after the tax on feminine hygiene products was axed two years ago.
The retailer said that removing the 20% rate on the products would help make sanitary items more affordable as households battle with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Almost 50 signatories signed a letter addressed to the Treasury to abolish the tax.
Period pants are similar to regular underwear but use a thicker absorbent material to help prevent leaks, making them a good alternative to sanitary pads. Similar to pants, they can be washed and reused many times.
The underwear did not benefit from the removal of ‘tampon tax’ in 2021 because it is classified as clothing.
As such, “anyone who wants to use a more sustainable product when they are on their period pays a premium for doing so,” the letter claims.
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M&S and period pants etailer WUKA said that their customers have paid £3m in VAT since 2020.
The high street retailer, which sells more than 6,000 packs of period underwear a week, said the move would allow a three pack of period pants to be sold for £16 instead of £20.
Both retailers have promised to pass the cost-savings on to customers immediately if the tax is scrapped in the upcoming Autumn Budget.
M&S lingerie director Laura Charles said: “As the UK’s biggest knicker retailer, we want to do something about the VAT that our customers pay on period pants.
“Over the past few years, our customers have paid over £1.5m in tax but if this tax is removed, we can pass the entirety of the cost saving onto our customers.”
A Treasury spokesman said: “We are committed to making sanitary products affordable and available to all who need them.
“That is why we have delivered on our promise to scrap the tampon tax so that VAT is no longer charged on sanitary products, such as pads, tampons and reusable menstrual products such as menstrual cups.”
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