Feminists are gunning for French ministers who refused to reduce VAT on women’s sanitary products, claiming it would be unfair to men paying the full rate on shaving cream.
Christian Eckert, the budget minister, rejected a proposal to lower the tax on feminine hygiene products on the grounds that there was no plan for a similar cut in “male hygiene products”, notably those used for shaving.
“He is ridiculous, perfectly ridiculous, completely ridiculous,” Juliette Melba, an organiser at Georgette Sand, the French feminist group, said.
The Socialist government rejected an amendment to the budget to classify tampons and sanitary towels as essential products like food, gas and electricity, which are taxed at 5.5 per cent. Feminine hygiene products are classified as non-essential and taxed at 20 per cent at present.
Mr Eckert set out the government’s response to the so-called tampon tax during a 15-minute debate at 1am last week, with hardly any MPs present in the National Assembly. Almost three quarters of France’s MPs are men.
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His words were overlooked at the time, but have since gone viral on French websites amid claims that they highlight deep sexism at the heart of the Parisian establishment.
“We are really shocked,” Ms Melba said. “We have had a lot of women contacting us to say that they are going to send him underwear stained with blood. We have had to advise them that it is illegal in France to send blood through the post, but there is nothing to stop them sending underwear with false blood — red jam or something like that.”
Mr Eckert poured fuel on the fire by saying that the government had also faced calls to reduce VAT on activities “like leisure parks and grottos”, but had to reject them all, given the public debt of €2,105 billion. Ms Melba said his comparison showed “just how out of touch he is”.
Osez le Féminisme, another feminist group, said that women spent an average of €1,500 over their lifetime on sanitary products, and added that Mr Eckert’s remarks highlighted a “menstrual taboo” in France’s male-dominated political class. Women in France plan to campaign for a government U-turn.
The UK reduced VAT on sanitary products in 2000. British feminists are campaigning to abolish it completely.