'Tampon tax' to be used for women's charities, Chancellor announces

The £15 million raised each year from VAT on sanitary products is to be used to fund women's health and support charities, George Osborne says.

The Chancellor, who announced the move in his Autumn statement, said he was "committed" to persuading the EU to allow Britain to scrap VAT on sanitary items.

In the meantime, however, he said the money would be put to "good use".

He said: "We already charge the lowest 5% rate allowable under European law and we're committed to getting the EU rules changed. Until that happens, I'm going to use the £15m a year raised from the tampon tax to fund women's health and support charities.

"The first £5m will be distributed between the Eve Appeal, SafeLives and Women's Aid and the Haven - and I invite bids from other such good causes."

A petition on Change.org to scrap the tax has reached more than 270,000 signatures while a separate petition on the website calling for the tax to be donated to charity gathered 252 supporters after launching four weeks ago.

In an update posted after the Chancellor's announcement, organiser Jenny McComb wrote: "I don't know if Osborne saw our little petition - I hope he did! - but I'm delighted that women's charities will benefit from additional funding to do their vital work.

"It's not all good news. As many people have observed, we mustn't let him use this as a smokescreen to hide cuts to local councils and social care. Years of slashed funding have left women's charities, refuges and services struggling and closing down.

"£15 million will in no way plug the gap - but it's a start. More importantly, it's a start that every one of you contributed to. Thanks so much x."

However, the announcement received a mixed response on social media, with many arguing that society as a whole should help fund vital services for women.

@CRostvik wrote: "As ever, it's up to women to save women now," while @jojomoyes posted: "Women! Fund your own charitable issues by us charging you extra for things you can't do without!"#tampontax