Finance Bill Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Finance Bill

Pauline Latham Excerpts
Monday 26th October 2015

(9 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Bernard Jenkin Portrait Mr Jenkin
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I certainly acknowledge that what has happened in other member states has influenced what has happened in this country, but the hon. Lady enjoys no rights in this country that we could not have afforded ourselves through our own political processes. The question of the possibility of leaving the European Union is about taking back control over those policies, not deciding them in a different way from that which she would like. Long may we continue to agree on the importance of equal rights for women in as many areas as possible—in fact, in every area that we can possibly legislate on.

Pauline Latham Portrait Pauline Latham (Mid Derbyshire) (Con)
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Does my hon. Friend agree that this tax is very unfair because it is not about the equality of sexes? The tax is not equal because men do not need any of these products. If we had thought at the very beginning that this would impact on women only, I am sure people would have thought much harder about putting tax on sanitary products, which every woman, mainly, needs for a long period in their life. It is not fair.

Bernard Jenkin Portrait Mr Jenkin
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I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. It is a deeply discriminatory and unfair tax.