A bill to remove 15% sanitary pad tax introduced

A bill to remove the 15% sanitary pad tax was introduced to parliament by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu.

Mr. Sosu presented the proposed bill to the Clerk of Parliament last Thursday. The 15% removal was introduced after several campaigns advocating for the removal of taxes on menstrual products.

It will also promote the reclassification of 20% import tariffs on final consumer goods as zero-tariff essential social goods and ban future tariffs on these essential social goods.

The proposed bill seeks to amend the VAT (Amendment) Act, 2022 (Act 1082) to remove VAT on sanitary pads and other menstrual products.

The reason for withdrawing the bill is that many women and girls have difficulty regulating their menstruation.

However, menstrual hygiene management is defined as the use of clean materials to absorb menstrual blood, which can be changed privately, safely, hygienically, and as often as necessary throughout the duration of the menstrual cycle.

Failure to meet the menstrual hygiene needs of women and girls can have far-reaching consequences for basic hygiene, sanitation, and reproductive health, ultimately affecting the progress of the country.

Ghana’s latest population census shows that women are 51% of the population, so there is a real opportunity to address gender equality and the high tax on menstrual products.