TAMPON TAX – ECONOMY
News: What
is the tampon tax and which countries have axed it?
What's in the news?
● More
than a quarter of menstruating women and girls around the world – some 500
million people – struggle to manage their periods, often because they cannot
afford sanitary pads, according to the World Bank.
Tampon Tax:
● Tampon
tax refers to consumption levies
such as value-added tax (VAT) that most countries charge on items such as
sanitary pads, tampons, panty liners and menstrual cups.
Key takeaways:
● Millions
of women and girls face what is known as 'period
poverty'.
● Tax
on pads and tampons make the matter worse. Currently, such taxes have been
scrapped or cut in 48 nations, with advocates saying that access to hygiene
products is a rights issue.
Countries and Tampon Tax:
● In
some countries, period products are considered non-essential items for VAT
purposes, while items including toilet paper, condoms and over-the-counter
medicines are tax-free or carry a lower
levy.
● Kenya
became the first country to scrap VAT on sanitary pads and tampons in 2004, at least 17 countries have
followed suit.
● In
nearly two dozen U.S. states,
menstrual products still carry a general sales tax (GST) similar to VAT that is
levied on all consumer goods and services.
● In
2022, Scotland became the first
nation to make tampons and sanitary pads free and available at designated
public places such as community centres, youth clubs and pharmacies.