Period products: Mitsotakis announces plan to cut VAT from 24% to 13%
The prime minister says the cut will be included in the TIF measures bill. Free school provision is being considered; the announcement is distinct from enacted legislation.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a plan to reduce VAT on period products from 24% to 13% in his Alpha Radio interview on 3 November 2026. The full transcript has been published on his official website.
He said he had instructed the finance minister to include the cut in the bill containing the Thessaloniki International Fair measures, which he said would be voted on the following week. This is an announced government legislative intention; the interview does not constitute publication of a law or a change to the rate applied at tills.
What implementation requires
The final legislative text will determine the precise product scope, commencement and implementation terms. The reduction is not presented as already in force, and no specific final product price is assigned. A lower tax rate does not by itself establish the resulting retail price.
Free school products: a pilot is under consideration
The prime minister also said he had requested examination of targeted pilots providing free period products to girls in schools in disadvantaged areas. This concerns consideration of a proposal, rather than an application programme already open or an announced list of schools and beneficiaries.
He cited the additional cost borne by women and social and gender fairness as the political rationale. On broader VAT reductions, he argued that fiscal constraints exist and referred to future targeted proposals. These assessments are attributed to him rather than presented as an independent assessment of fiscal space.
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