MIDDLEWICH MP Fiona Bruce has defended her decision to vote against abolishing tax on women’s sanitary products. 

The Labour Party proposed a motion to scrap tax on women’s sanitary products, dubbed the tampon tax, arguing that such items are not luxury and therefore should not be taxed. 

MPs voted on the proposal in the House of Commons on October 26, and the motion was thrown out with 305 voting against opposed to 287 votes in favour of abolishing the tax. 

Middlewich residents were shocked to hear that their MP had voted against removing the tax. But Mrs Bruce defended her decision by arguing that a change in EU bylaw would have to gain support from all 28 member states of the European Union and that the current five per cent rate is the lowest allowed under EU law. 

She said: “Any change to EU bylaw in this respect would require a proposal from the European Commission and the support of all 28 member states. Without that agreement the government is not permitted to lower rates below five per cent.

“However, I am pleased the Treasury has agreed to raise the issue with the European Commission and with other member states and to form out the view that it should be possible for a member state to apply a zero rate to sanitary products.”

Three Conservative MPs went against party policy, voting in favour of the amendment, and all three were men. Eddisbury MP Antoinette Sandbach, Weaver Vale MP Graham Evans and Tatton MP George Osborne also voted against abolishing the tax on women’s sanitary products.