Yahoo Lifestyle Joe Hockey Admits There Probably Shouldn’t Be A Tax On Tampons
Joe Hockey on the ABC's Q and A last night. Photo: Youtube
Joe Hockey was the only guest on last night’s Q&A, and he faced some pretty serious questions about what his budget is going to mean for Australians.
But the one question that hit home for us was from Newtown resident Subeta Vimalarajah, the architect of a viral petition called Stop Taxing My Period Joe Hockey. The appeal, which has gained some 92,000 signatures in under a month, calls for the GST on sanitary items to be removed.
“People who get periods don’t buy pads and tampons for pleasure,” Vimalarajah wrote in the petition.
Subeta Vilamarajah and fellow students appeared in a video question on Q and A. Photo: Youtube
Last night, she appeared on Q&A to pose the question directly to the Treasurer himself. At first, the query left Hockey reeling with nervous laughter.
“Do I think that sanitary products are essential? I think so,” Hockey said.
When asked whether the GST should be removed from them as a result, he answered, “It probably should, yes.”
He then made a promise to Vimalarajah that he would take the question to the next meeting of State treasurers in July.
According to Hockey, when the GST was instated in 2000 under the Howard government there was a list of exclusions (like fresh fruit and vegetables, for example) that were not to be taxed. Sanitary products were not one of those exclusions. But, if all State treasurers were to agree at July’s meeting, that might soon change.
You can watch the video below:
You can sign the petition here.
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