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The Chief Minister has been branded "disingenuous" by a Reform Deputy for giving her backing to a "disappointing" plan to scrap a previous commitment to remove GST from period products.
The proposition, which was put forward by Treasury Minister Ian Gorst and will be debated in the States Assembly next month, explains that Ministers feel they have "surpassed" this aim by providing free products in some locations around the island instead.
In December 2022, Deputy Lyndsay Feltham successfully proposed an amendment to the Government Plan which established the need for a full debate before the commitment to remove GST on menstrual products could be reversed.
The States Assembly has voted to APPROVE Deputy @lyndsayfeltham’s twenty-second amendment to the proposed Government Plan. 24 Members voted for, 22 voted against and one abstained. https://t.co/6xf5PGchEu
— States Assembly - Jersey's elected parliament (@StatesAssembly) December 15, 2022
Now that a proposition has officially been lodged for debate, Deputy Feltham described it as "disappointing" and “concerning that the Chief Minister can change her principles so quickly”.
In May 2022, politicians voted to instruct the next Treasury Minister to remove the 5% GST on period products following a proposal put forward for debate by then-Senator Kristina Moore.
At the time, she pointed out that Jersey was the only place left in the British Isles not to get rid of what has become known as the ‘tampon tax’.
In a report setting out her argument, then-Senator Moore argued that having GST on period items meant that they were viewed as a "luxury item".
Pictured: Last year, Kristina Moore said that having GST on period products painted them as a "luxury item".
“Periods are not opt-in!" she said last year. "They are not something that is a choice – and they are not a luxury. At present, there are charities that provide menstrual projects in schools – however, women should not have to turn to charity to deal with period poverty.”
Despite securing the support of the States Assembly for the GST exemption, Deputy Moore instead decided to address the problem by placing free period products in different locations around the island as part of a '100-day plan' commitment when she became Chief Minister.
This attracted criticism from Chief Scrutineer Sam Mézec, who challenged the now-Chief Minister on the apparent lack of progress on the GST removal.
Deputy Moore argued the free products scheme – introduced in October 2022 – meant that the "the intention of my proposition has therefore been achieved and exceeded".
As a result of this, a proposition has now been lodged asking the States Assembly to "agree to rescind their decision to exempt Goods and Services Tax from menstrual sanitary products and continue the implementation of a scheme by the Council of Ministers to provide free products to those who need them".
Pictured: Free tampons and sanitary towels are made available around the island at public locations such as the library and sports centres.
Treasury Minister Ian Gorst's rescindment explains that the Council of Ministers "consider it unnecessary" to make period products exempt from GST "given that period products are now available for free".
"The intention and purpose of P.66/2022 [the decision to make period products exempt from GST] has been met and surpassed by the Government," he adds.
Following this rescindment, Deputy Feltham said that it "is “disappointing that it has taken this long to debate” the issue, adding that Ministers “obviously never intended on implementing the removal of GST”.
Deputy Feltham described the Chief Minister as “disingenuous” for supporting the removed of GST on menstrual products prior to the election, and then “changing her mind so quickly” post-election.
The Reform Deputy explained that one of the arguments against then-Senator Moore’s proposition for removing GST from period products was that the Government were planning on making them free anyway.
She therefore said that she would ask the Chief Minister: "If that wasn’t good enough for you just over a year ago, then why is it good enough now?"
Pictured: Deputy Feltham said that there is a need to ensure that the Government "isn’t revenue-raising from women’s periods”.
Deputy Feltham agreed that the free menstrual products currently on offer “may well help people suffering from period poverty”, but explained that it “relies on you finding yourself in one of those free locations at the right time”.
She added that there "quite clearly” aren’t enough free products for “every single woman to take what they need” from the locations where they are available.
She accepted that the free products “alleviate some barriers” to access menstrual products, but “don’t deal with the point of principle”.
Describing GST on menstrual products a “discriminatory tax”, Deputy Feltham said that there is a need to ensure that the Government "isn’t revenue-raising from women’s periods”.
"It's an issue of principal and an issue of respect," she said. "Reversing this decision sets a worrying precedent for Ministers disrespecting decisions made by elected officials."
Deputy Gorst's proposition is set to be debated by the States Assembly next month.
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Free period products to be made available around the island
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