The association finds it astonishing that pet foods, wine, or cinema tickets are subject to a lower tax rate than tampons and sanitary towels.

Currently, the VAT rate for these products is 17%. They are taxed at the same rate as jewellery, cigarettes, fuel, and “many other products which are not considered as of primary necessity.”

The association, which is attached to the Conseil national des femmes, calls for the reduced rate of 3% to be applied, because “these female hygiene products are absolutely indispensable for around 40 years of women’s lives,” the press statement reads, adding that “these products are not at all optional.”

It stresses that:

“These fiscal rules create a state of injustice against women. The fact of applying the normal VAT rate to these products, which are absolutely indispensable, amounts to forcing them to pay for a natural phenomenon, over which they have no influence. It is considered to be a luxury to be a woman.”

The association argues that these VAT rates have been reduced in other countries, such as France and Belgium, and urged the Luxembourg government to follow their lead in this matter.

“The tax laws in Luxembourg should not make women pay the price for their periods.”