Feminist group sees red after French MPs reject move to cut VAT on sanitary products

A feminist group is seeing red after French MPs rejected a proposal put forward by Socialist MPs to cut the VAT paid on sanitary products from 20% to 5.5%. The MPs had introduced the amendment to the budget saying that as "basic needs", tampons, towels and menstrual cups should be taxed at lower rates.

The proposal was however rejected Thursday (15 October) morning. The government opposed the VAT reduction saying that it would effectively see tax receipts fall by €55m (£40m) in 2016. News of the rejection drew the ire of women on Twitter on hashtag #taxetampon.

Most women slammed the MPs who they say are mostly men for rejecting the proposal.

Must be a nice surprise for French women to know today that a bunch of old men don't think Tampons constitute a basic need #taxetampon
— Nick Hoare (@NickHoare93) October 15, 2015

One person joked that the male MPs will be getting their dues when they go home for rejecting the amendment. The feminist collective behind the proposal, Georgette Sand said the rejection was inevitable given women's under-representation in the chamber. It did not help that France's Secretary of State for the Budget, Christian Eckert said compared the VAT for sanitary products to men's shaving foam.

Comparer tampons et mousse à raser c'est comme dire qu'une prothèse de jambe n'est qu'une béquille de confort. Sexiste ET débile #taxetampon
— Mathieu Brancourt (@MBrancourt) October 15, 2015