John Lewis joins M&S and Tesco in cutting price of period pants

John Lewis and Waitrose are joining Tesco and Marks & Spencer successful cutting the terms of their play pants.

The retailer says it volition trim the terms of 30 types of play underwear by 20% successful its stores from adjacent week.

The determination follows the motorboat of the Say Pants to the Tax run urging the authorities to ditch VAT connected the items.

Currently the underwear - which are absorbent, washable and reusable - are classified arsenic garments and VAT is levied astatine 20%.

But different play products specified arsenic pads and tampons person been exempt since 2021.

John Lewis said it was "the close happening to do" and was aimed astatine providing "a much-needed boost for customers looking for ways to prevention connected indispensable sanitary products".

Marks & Spencer and marque Wuka launched the Say Pants to the Tax run earlier this month, and person been joined by politicians and run groups calling connected the authorities to act.

Some 70 signatories person signed a missive asking the curate successful complaint of VAT policy, Victoria Atkin, to reclassify the pants arsenic a play product.

Period underwear has go much fashionable implicit the past 20 years, with large brands including Sainsbury's, Primark and Next present selling them. Costs for play knickers scope from £8 to £46 for a battalion of 3 online.

The pants tin beryllium washed and reused galore times and roseate successful popularity during Covid lockdowns, with galore radical looking for alternatives to single-use products.

However the outgo of purchasing the pants tin beryllium a hurdle for caller users.

Darcey Finch, a 26-year-old illustrator, who has utilized play pants since the pandemic said she recovered them "really expensive" and was amazed that they were taxed otherwise to tampons and pads.

"I conscionable assumed they wouldn't beryllium taxed - the lone antagonistic to them is the price," Darcey told BBC News.