Tesco PLC (LSE:TSCO) has become the first British supermarket chain to shoulder the value-added tax charge on its range of period pants as a means of tackling period poverty in the UK.
This 20% price reduction aligns the pants with other period essentials that have been VAT-free since 2021.
As a result, a three-pack of Tesco’s own brand of F&F period pants has been reduced from £18 to £14.40.
Tesco group communications director Christine Heffernan said: “We know that the cost of buying essential period products can be a real struggle for many people. And we want to do our bit to help by covering the cost of VAT on period pants, helping to make this more sustainable option more affordable for customers.
“We were the first retailer to cover the cost of VAT on period products in 2017 and we’re proud to be helping customers again by covering the cost of VAT on period pants now, to make them that bit more affordable.”
Earlier this month, M&S joined forces with British period pants company WUKA to pressure the government into reclassifying period pants as a tax-exempt period product.
More than 60 signatories, including Primark, Tesco, period poverty charity Freedom4Girl and the chief executive of the British Retail Consortium co-signed a letter to financial secretary Victoria Atkins.
According to ActionAid, the cost-of-living crisis has pushed period poverty among UK women up from 12% to 21%.
This amounts to an estimated 2.8 million people struggling to afford period products.