After a year-long zealous campaign on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for sanitary pads by Members of Parliament, activists, students and the general public, the Government on India announced on 21 July 2018, that sanitary pads will be exempted from GST, a decision that was thought to benefit the thousands of Indian girls and women who use and want to use sanitary pads. The basic premise for the zero tax movement was that sanitary pads are an essential, not a luxury item for women. But will tax exemption really make sanitary pads a more affordable necessary item?
WaterAid India recently hosted a live discussion to decode the impact of GST exemption on sanitary pads and how this decision could affect women’s ability to choose and afford sanitary protection of their choice.