Ljubljana - The legislative changes lowering VAT on women's sanitary products from 22% to 9.5% entered into force on Monday. The initiative for the changes had come from Bojana Muršič, an MP for the opposition Social Democrats (SD).

Muršič had argued that women's sanitary products in Slovenia are subject to the highest of the two VAT rates, while some other hygiene products for general use, such as cotton wool, gauze or nappies, are taxed at 9.5%.

She thus proposed a change to VAT implementation regulations to place women's sanitary products among other hygiene products, as EU VAT rules allow for that.

The SD youth and women's wings urged the Finance Ministry in March to start proceedings for lowering VAT on the products immediately. They also proposed that women's sanitary products be available for free at public educational institutions.

Their calculations suggest that a woman in Slovenia spends EUR 70-100 for sanitary products a year.

The opposition Left also filed a bill to lower VAT on women's sanitary products to 5%.

Some EU member states have already reduced or are planning to reduce what is nicknamed the "tampon tax".