Francis-Xavier Sosu, a lawmaker from Madina, has submitted a draft bill to Parliament that urges the government to eliminate the 15 percent value added tax and the 20 percent luxury tax on sanitary pads in order to make them more affordable.
The proposed bill aims to repeal the VAT on sanitary pads and tampons under the VAT (Amendment) Act, 2022 (Act 1082).
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Additionally, it will work to have the 20 percent import tax on finished consumer goods reclassified as zero-rated essential social goods and to forbid further taxation of these essential social goods.
In a memorandum that accompanied the bill, Sosu stated that many women and girls around the world had difficulty controlling their menstrual cycles.
Menstrual hygiene management (MHM), according to the NDC MP, is the act of using hygienic materials to absorb menstrual blood and changing them as often as necessary throughout the menstrual cycle in a private, sanitary, and safe manner.
Period poverty in Ghana would disappear if the taxes were removed.
Because sanitary pads are currently so expensive in Ghana, some young women are forced to use untreated fabrics and tissues, which has an impact on their health.
According to the country’s data, nine out of ten girls regularly miss school when they are on their periods.
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Due to access and financial barriers, 44 to 54 percent of schoolgirls in the Northern Region collect menstrual blood using reusable clothing.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia promised that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will abolish import taxes on sanitary pads prior to the 2020 general elections.
He claimed that the action is intended to lower the market price of the product, promote usage, and advance the personal hygiene and health of all women, particularly young girls.
