Bollywood, women politicians thrilled as govt withdraws tax on sanitary pads

new delhi — The government has withdrawn a controversial tax on sanitary pads following a vocal campaign led by activists and Bollywood stars to boost female education and empowerment.

Saturday’s announcement is part of a slew of changes to the national Goods and Services Tax (GST) intended to reduce the prices of around 90 key consumer goods, many of which target urban middle classes ahead of next year’s general election.

“I think all women will be happy to know that sanitary pads will now have 100 percent exemption. There will be no GST on sanitary pads,” India’s acting finance minister Piyush Goyal told journalists on Saturday.

Activists, Bollywood actors and some politicians had opposed the 12 per cent tax, citing a lack of access and affordability for a key hygiene product as a key barrier to female empowerment in the country.

“One of those days when a news brings tears of joy as a cause close to ur heart gets fulfilled,” Akshay Kumar, one of Bollywood’s most popular stars, wrote on Twitter.

Kumar was the lead actor in Padman, a Bollywood movie released earlier this year about the life of an activist who created a line of lowcost sanitary napkins for rural India. “Thank you ... for understanding the need for menstrual hygiene and exempting sanitary pads from tax. I’m sure crores (tens of millions) of women in our country are silently sending gratitude ur way,” he added.

Women politicians, cutting across party lines, have welcomed the government’s decision.

“In a remarkable move, Piyush Goyal during the 28th GST Council Meet announced to exempt Sanitary Napkins from the GST. Indeed, this will give the required thrust to our Menstrual Hygiene initiatives and will transform lives of many Women,” Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi tweeted. Sanitary pads, which were initially taxed at 18 per cent, were brought down to 12 per cent under GST that was launched in July 2017. Maneka, however earlier had justified the imposed tax saying that scrapping it would kill the indigenous pad makers.

Congress MP Sushmita Dev who last year had launched an online petition with Change.org demanding total removal of taxes on pads welcomed the government’s move saying that it is a victory of more than 400,000 citizens who had signed it.

“Some journeys take longer than others. And so here we are bearing the victory torch a year after our campaign ‘tax free wings. This is monumental in the step towards improving the accessibility, availability and affordability of the product to millions of women,” Dev said. —

Thank you ... for understanding the need for menstrual hygiene and exempting sanitary pads from tax. I’m sure crores (tens of millions) of women in our country are silently sending gratitude ur way

Akshay Kumar, actor