High street chemists are unsure about how to price products containing fluoride and uv filters following a recent high court ruling, broadcaster NOS said on Thursday.

The Supreme Court ruled recently that toothpaste and sunscreen should be considered a ‘medicine’ and liable for 6% value added tax (btw) rather than 21% because they contain fluoride and uv filters.

But pharmacies and high-street chemists are still confused about what tax to levy over other products containing them, such as mouthwash, dental floss and face creams, NOS said.

The court ruling did not specify what rate of tax should be levied over other products containing ingredients considered to potentially turn them into a ‘medicine’.

‘We’ve interpreted the ruling very strictly,’ a spokesman for chemists chain DIO told the broadcaster. ‘We’ve only changed the prices for fluoride toothpaste and sun screens with uv filters. But we want to know if we are doing the right thing. The tax office needs to give clarity.’

The tax office said in a statement: ‘we respect the Supreme Court’s ruling and are studying it’.