FEMM

The Cost of Being a Woman: Latest research has shown that in addition to the tax on menstrual products, goods targeting female customers are approximately 5% more expensive compared to products advertised to men. Taking into account the already existing economic differences between men and women, what stance should the EU take on product pricing…

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

Submitted by: Eline Dijkman (NL),  Jon Gashi (NL), Calla Kemper (NL), Yasmin Mahmmod (NL), Chloë Spaan (NL), Arasch Tahiri (NL), Lotte Wessels (NL);

Chaired by: Leah Stella (NL)

The European Youth Parliament,

  1. Deeply concerned that low-income menstruating European citizens are often unable to buy necessary menstrual products,
  2. Stressing the impact the lack of quality and quantity of menstrual products has on reproductive health,
  3. Aware of the varying Value Added Tax rate of menstrual products across EU Member States,
  4. Expressing the need for a common framework for manufacturers and retailers to decrease the pink-tax1, 
  5. Regretting the possibility of the pre-taxation price2 rise, 
  6. Alarmed by the environmental impact and the amount of waste generated  by single-use menstrual products;

The Committee,

  1. Urges Member States to improve the accessibility of menstrual products by:
    1. obliging healthcare providers to include the availability of menstrual products in their basic healthcare plans,
    2. offering menstruation products in more public places such as schools and libraries,
    3. introducing price caps3 on retail prices of menstrual products;
  2. Calls upon Member States to ensure the availability of menstrual products to citizens suffering from period poverty4;
  3. Suggests Member States to help raise awareness about the pink-tax phenomenon  by:
    • introducing the concept in their respective school curricula,
    • launching government campaigns focusing on the pink tax;
  4. Asks Member States to promote the manufacturing of reusable and environmentally friendly menstrual products by:
    • subsidising the production of eco-friendly period products, 
    • encouraging investment in menstrual products manufacturing to keep the retail prices affordable;
  5. Urges Member States to alter their approach to menstrual products by lowering the taxes on those goods. 
  1. Pink Tax  is the term for the economic gap between products advertised for male and female customers. The term tax refers to the amount of money added to a product, and it is not a governmental tax. ↩︎
  2.  Pre-taxation price is the price a product had before any additional sales taxes. These sale taxes are added by the retailer and/or selling companies. ↩︎
  3.  A Price Cap is a form of a market regulation. Certain products or services are set to a maximum price to prevent economic deficiencies. ↩︎
  4. Period poverty  is the lack of access to needs during a menstrual cycle. This includes the lack of Menstrual products, but also people who aren’t able to manage their periods with dignity. ↩︎