Coop Italia has pledged to absorb a recent VAT increase on sanitary pads in Italy, and has reactivated a campaign to reduce the tax rate on these and other feminine care products.
The Budget Law for 2024, passed recently by the Meloni government, will see the VAT on sanitary pads in Italy raised to 10%, however Coop has said that it will absorb this increase on its private-label pads until at least the end of April.
Onde Rosa
Previously, Coop teamed up with the Onde Rosa collective on a campaign hosted on the Change.org platform, which garnered some 683,000 signatures and led to the lowering of VAT on sanitary pads from 22% to 5%, in line with many other European countries.
With the recent VAT rise, the retailer has reactivated the campaign, aiming to achieve one million signatures, using the slogan Il ciclo è ANCORA un lusso! (Periods are STILL a luxury!).
'A Clear Injustice'
“Just as we publicly recognised exactly one year ago the validity of the decision taken then by the Meloni Government to lower the VAT on sanitary pads, putting an end to a clear injustice, similarly today with the increase in VAT to 10% we cannot help but take a position," commented Maura Latini, president of Coop Italia.
"Let's restart the mobilisation and demonstrate with action on our products that lowering VAT is possible."
In October, Coop Italia launched a new budget private-label range under the Gli Spesotti brand, which the retailer says offers significant savings on everyday items.
The range includes around 300 SKUs across 75 categories, which feature an exclamation point as a recurring iconic element.
