condoms a luxury or a necessity?

shabani

I was amazed to find that condoms attract 17.5% VAT as they are considered a luxury item. So whilist you are enjoying yourselves, remember you are being taxed as well!
Surely condoms are a necessity especially these days with the increase in HIV/ Aids. I know you can get free condoms from your GP but how many people actually make the trip to the GP's just to obtain condoms?
Coming from a Southern African country with high HIV rate I find this amazing.With a lot of people from countries with high rates of HIV emmigrating to the UK, surely the government should be providing free condoms to everyone. I think one should be able to go to the supermaket and come out with free condoms.
I know currently, the HIV rate in the UK is quite low, but I believe countries such as South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe once had these same low HIV rates but overnight were swamped by huge increases.
So lets start a campaign to make condoms VAT exempt and the government to heavly subsidise their price or even better make them free. Surely the EU can afford to subsidise this just by cutting Farmers subsidies

Bossyboots

Condoms are free from your local family planning clinic. You just walk in and ask for them, you don't have to be registered.

You can now get decent condoms from them, not the old rather basic ones of yesteryear.

Bendybops19

I agree shabani. The price of condoms is absolutley ridiculous!!!!
The surgery i worked out very rarely ever gave them out, and they really were not good ones. Very basic ones that no one actually wanted. This is also the same at our family planning clinics.
Also, would teenagers/adults actually want to go into a family planning clinic to pick up condoms? Im sure they would all rather buy them themselves but at a much cheaper price.

shabani

How many people know where their local family planning clinic is? And are people going to make the trip there to get some condoms. I know you can get them from your GP as well but i haven't been to the GP for years now. I believe condoms should be freely available like in pubs for no charge at all

sarahlouise210

shabani wrote:

How many people know where their local family planning clinic is? And are people going to make the trip there to get some condoms. I know you can get them from your GP as well but i haven't been to the GP for years now. I believe condoms should be freely available like in pubs for no charge at all

Anyone can find out where there local family planning clinic is-they are listed in the phone book. It is quite simple.. you walk up to the desk and ask for condoms! The receptionist who does this every day is not in any way embarrassed and does not make you feel embarassed-at ours they ask what sort you would like..oooohhh its like being in a sweetie shop! :j You can have 30 a month at a time (but can go back for more should you need to !!) :rolleyes: You can even have KY thrown in for free! :money: They are given to you in a brown paper bag.Everyone can have these for free.. you just have to put in a little effort yourself.....

Murtle

fantastic - there's going to be lots of money savers out and about with their brown paper bags....I can just picture it......

Thanks Sarahlouise, I knew you could get them there, but I did still think they were the type that would have been more useful as the plastic packet I might just visit the local one and check them out!!! Be a good moneysaving exercise.....especially compared to having babe in arms

sarahlouise210

Murtle wrote:

fantastic - there's going to be lots of money savers out and about with their brown paper bags....I can just picture it.....

lol...:rotfl:
mmm.. now what could we use the brown bags for to save money....could get quite a stash if we`re lucky!!


funny.. when they offered me the assortment I was so naive.. I did not know there were so many options available! It appears the NHS even provide condoms that make you enjoy it more .. money saving at its absolute best !!!:D

chloejane_2

i used to work in a youth project where condoms were handed out as part of the induction pack and then we would go and get a bumper supply for the weekends as most of the time sex was one of the big things to do, the family planning centre were really good about how many we used to have, only thing we did do was stick to the boring ones other wise there would have been fights over who got the best flavour etc.

Murtle

sarahlouise210 wrote:

funny.. when they offered me the assortment I was so naive.. I did not know there were so many options available! It appears the NHS even provide condoms that make you enjoy it more .. money saving at its absolute best !!!:D

is that what they call cheap thrills :rotfl:

I love brown paper bags, they make people wonder what you have got in them!!! Alcohol, sanitary products, now condoms too - and if your American, just your normal shopping!!!!

I prefer the mystery!!!!!

alared

What`s wrong with cling film and an elastic band.

zodiac

alared wrote:

What`s wrong with cling film and an elastic band.

:eek::eek::eek:

I nearly died the first time I brough condoms, I was so embarrested.Then a few months later I was getting free from college and blowing them up in the drama studio to use as a ball...... :rolleyes: