Some of my friends from lower income backgrounds cannot afford sanitary napkins and I have seen them face many problems. Getting the pads tax free would help the process work smoothly and help our girls and women to experience periods comfortably, which are anyway made worse due to the social stigma and many myths and misconceptions surrounding this biological process. This has also created jobs for rural women.
Due to Arunachalam Muruganantham’s innovation, many low cost sanitary napkins are being made and distributed. Sushmita Dev says that a minimal tax can be imposed on disposable napkins and there must be 100 per cent tax exemption on environment friendly napkins. The waste generated could lead to a huge environmental hazard. Nobody talks about menstruation and the problems women face because of it. I signed this petition, so should you, because Indian women deserve better. What would be admirable and deeply appreciated is to make biodegradable, reusable/washable napkins that can become accessible to women and then making them tax free,” she says. “I’m proud of the MP’s move.
The petition has been addressed to the Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley and already has around 66,529 supporters. When products such as condoms and contraceptives are tax free, then why are sanitary pads still categorised as luxury products and taxed heavily?Bringing the issue to the forefront, MP Sushmita Dev from Silchar, Assam, has started a petition called ‘
wholesale Rubber sealTaxFreeWings’ on Change.
Aditi Gupta, founder, Menstrupedia, an online guide that helps women to stay healthy and active during their periods, says, “It’s absolutely essential to exempt tax on sanitary pads or female hygiene products like tampons and menstrual cups. But Dia Mirza says that all sanitary napkin companies must make biodegradable napkins. (sic)” Politicians Salman Khurshid and Baijayant Jay Panda have also signed the petition.. I hope the government takes action soon,” she says.5 per cent tax on sanitary napkins makes them unaffordable, one of the main reasons why girls in rural areas discontinue their education.
The 14. It is an issue that affects nearly half of the population, but even today, menstrual hygiene is a cause of concern for women in rural India. If every woman in India were to use sanitary napkins, we would generate up to a 100 million tonnes of non-biodegradable toxic waste. Signing the petition, politician Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “Take a step to change the lives of millions of women this #WomensDay.org, calling for 100 per cent tax exemption on the production and distribution of sanitary pads. | SHWETA WATSON Published: Mar 18, 2017, 12:02 am IST Updated: Mar 18, 2017, 6:39 am IST MP Sushmita Dev has started an online petition to abolish tax on sanitary napkins, in an effort to make them affordable.
