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Asia Pacific|Pakistan Plans to Cut Tax connected Menstrual Pads, but Many Say It’s Not Enough
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/world/asia/pakistan-menstrual-period-tax.html
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Activists said much enactment was needed to lick the larger problem: Only 12 percent of Pakistani women and girls usage safe, commercially made menstrual products.
By Elian Peltier and Anisa Shabir
Reporting from Islamabad and Quetta, Pakistan
June 22, 2026, 10:07 a.m. ET
Pakistan wants to abolish a income taxation connected menstrual pads and tampons starting successful July, a determination that is aimed astatine making the products much affordable successful a state wherever entree to and cognition astir menstrual hygiene remains low.
Pakistan’s concern minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, announced a program to region the 18 percent income taxation this month, saying that pads and tampons were “indispensable for women’s health, dignity and afloat information successful societal activities.”
Women and rights activists person hailed the program arsenic a triumph for menstrual wellness rights. It follows a nationwide treatment that started past twelvemonth aft an activistic took Pakistan’s authorities to tribunal to situation taxes imposed connected sanitary pads and tampons.
In Pakistan, the world’s fifth-most-populous country, lone astir 12 percent of menstruating girls and women usage commercially made sanitary pads, according to UNICEF, a United Nations bureau for children, portion successful neighboring India it is 36 percent.
But activists accidental much needs to beryllium done to assistance girls and women get menstrual products and to destruct the stigma astir menstruation. In agrarian areas and among blimpish families, well-worn rags and unhygienic pieces of cloth are often the lone options. One retired of 5 Pakistani girls misses schoolhouse due to the fact that of her menstrual cycle, according to UNICEF estimates.
“There is simply a play poorness situation successful Pakistan,” said Mahnoor Omer, 25, an activistic and lawyer who acceptable disconnected the treatment past twelvemonth erstwhile she filed a petition successful a Pakistani precocious tribunal to person sanitary pads and tampons declared essential, similar definite nutrient items. (The tribunal is expected to regularisation successful the last 4th of the year.) She was recognized arsenic 1 of Time magazine’s “women of the year” for her campaigning.
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