For Italian women, tampons are considered ... a luxury. A work of art reminds us of this

Italy has one of the highest taxations in the world on menstrual products, such as tampons or pads: in fact, women pay 22% VAT on this very important product. This is one of the highest taxations in the world: in the European Union, only Hungary (27%), two Scandinavian countries (Sweden and Denmark, both with 25% taxation), Croatia (25%) and Finland (24%) do worse than us. In Italy, in the spring of 2019, a Pd amendment to the Tax Simplification Act had been advanced to lower taxes on menstrual products, but it was rejected in the Budget Committee. Same script in late 2020, when an amendment to the maneuver, with Laura Boldrini as its first signatory, brought the same measure back to the attention of Parliament, with a proposal to raise taxation to 5 percent: skipped again this year.

As a reminder of how gender inequality also passes through the tax that women pay for a product that is essential for their hygiene, the well-known street artist Laika has created a new work and asked people to support a petition. The artwork is a poster depicting a wave of menstrual blood with the words 22 percent, in reference to the tax levied on tampons, and a tampon. It was posted this morning in Venice’s central Calle del Luganegher.

“Apparently,” Laika comments, “menstruation in Italy is a luxury. Keeping the tax on tampons at 22 percent is a choice that is the child of a society still too tied to the patriarchy. In New Zealand, starting in June, gil tampons will be offered free in schools to combat menstrual poverty, in the UK VAT is at 5 percent, in France 5.5 percent and in Germany 7 percent. What is Italy waiting for?” said the artist, who asks everyone to support a petition on Change.org addressed to the minister of economy. The petition calls for considering tampons as essential goods (like pasta, bread, rice, newspapers, dentures), which would allow VAT to be raised to 4 percent. Taxation at 22 percent is that of consumer goods: the same, for example, as for tablets, but if one can live without a tablet, living without tampons becomes seriously complicated to manage menstruation and one would suffer, the petition argues, severe health consequences, both physical and mental.

“Tampons are a primary good and cannot be taxed like a Rolex or BMW. The 22 percent vat ’is too much,’ let’s all sign the petition on change.org. 4% vat. LET’S SIGN IT!” concluded Laika inviting the collective signature of the petition, which has almost reached 500 thousand signatures.

Pictured is Laika’s work.

For Italian women, tampons are considered ... a luxury. A work of art reminds us of this

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