The Regional Council of Sardinia has budgeted 14.7 million euros for the purchase of products intended for menstrual hygiene. The figure is already black and white: 2.1 million for 2026 and 6.3 million for each of the following two years. The so-called tampon bonus, however, still has several blank spaces to fill. Individual amount, definitive age group, eligible products and methods for obtaining the contribution must be established by the Regional Council. The money is there. The form, understandably, not yet.
The allocation was approved on 5 August 2026 with amendment 2112 to the budget change and the Regional Council gave the final green light to the bill on 12 August 2026. The official text of the amendment speaks precisely of a regional measure with a “contribution in favor of women resident in Sardinia for the purchase of products intended for menstrual hygiene”.
And it is precisely this formulation that suggests a bit of caution when faced with the details that have been circulating in recent days. The 126 euros, the 11-18 age range or a tax procedure do not yet appear in the text approved and made public by the Council. Already calling it a “tax relief”, therefore, means running a few meters ahead of the norm: for now it is a regional contribution to be implemented.
Where does the 126 euros come from?
The figure is not invented, it is simply not yet the final amount of the bonus. The audience taken as a reference in the presentation of the measure is approximately 49,836 girls resident in Sardinia. Dividing the 6.3 million allocated for an entire year among approximately 50 thousand potential beneficiaries, we arrive at just over 126 euros each.
It is therefore a perfectly plausible estimate for 2027 and 2028, when the annual allocation will be 6.3 million. For 2026, the fund is only 2.1 million, also because the measure would start very late in the year. Thinking of 126 euros immediately guaranteed to each girl means making a correct division on the wrong budget.
The advances linked to the proposal indicate an annual contribution approximately between 100 and 126 euros. However, it will be the Council that transforms those figures into operational rules. Until then, 126 euros represents the estimated ceiling based on available resources, not a sum that a family can already ask for today.
Who will be able to ask for the tampon bonus
The approach announced by the promoter of the measure, the regional councilor Lara Serra, focuses on underage girls residing in Sardinia and on a universal contribution, therefore without an ISEE threshold. The estimate of almost 50 thousand potential beneficiaries arises precisely from this audience.
Here too it is necessary to distinguish the political direction from the provision already approved. Amendment 2112 published by the Regional Council does not establish a demographic range and speaks more generally of “women resident in Sardinia”. It doesn’t even indicate an ISEE roof. These elements will therefore have to appear in the implementation documents if the Council confirms the announced approach.
The same goes for purchases. The target includes tampons and other products commonly used for menstrual hygiene, but it will be necessary to define precisely which expenses can be reimbursed or covered: tampons, menstrual cups, washable sanitary pads and other products cannot be automatically placed in the same basket until the rules are published.
And above all, the part that interests those who will physically have to obtain the money is missing: we still don’t know if there will be a reimbursement of expenses, a voucher, a direct contribution or another mechanism. The official text does not establish a tax deduction or a tax credit. For this reason, at least for now, simply talking about contributions for menstrual products is much more precise.
In the meantime, VAT remains at 10% on sanitary pads
The Sardinian measure comes after a small national turnaround on VAT. From 1 January 2023, sanitary napkins and tampons for feminine hygiene had moved to the reduced rate of 5%. With the subsequent budget law, the benefit was reduced and from 2024 the rate rose to 10%, as clarified by the Revenue Agency.
Sardinia has chosen a different path: instead of intervening on VAT, a state matter, it puts regional resources directly on the purchase of goods which for those who menstruate are a periodic and difficult to negotiable expense.
The most concrete step, therefore, has already taken place: 14.7 million have been allocated. The next one will be less flashy and decidedly more useful to families: transforming the allocation into a measure that can really be used. Only then will we know if the tampon bonus will be worth 100 euros, 126 or a different amount, who will be entitled to it and what will need to be done to get it. For now the wallet has been opened. The instructions are still at the printer.
