Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-03-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.144 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 and to paragraph 2.16 of the Budget 2016, for what reason only £12 million of the £15 million annual fund has been committed.

Mr David Gauke

As announced at Autumn Statement 2015, the Tampon Tax Fund is a £15 million annual fund to support women’s charities, equivalent to the amount of VAT raised on sanitary products. The Chancellor announced initial donations at Autumn Statement totalling £5m. Further grants totalling £12 million have been announced at this Budget.

The Government has introduced legislation in the Finance Bill to enable the zero rate of VAT for women’s sanitary products.