New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) In Pakistan, menstrual pads are a luxury item, and the government continues to impose a 40 per cent tax on period products, according to a media report.

While menstrual health has gained significant attention, and many countries, including Malawi and Ethiopia, have worked in the last five years to remove different types of taxes and import duties, Pakistan continues to see menstrual pads as a luxury good, the NPR.org reported.

“Pakistan imposes a luxury tax on period products. They're not taxed as normal sales items, and they're not given the exemption of essential items,” the report said.

As per a 2025 UNICEF report, there is “no national policy, plan, or strategy for menstrual health and hygiene” in Pakistan.

Bushra Mahnoor, executive director at Mahwari Justice, a nonprofit in Pakistan advocating for menstrual health, told NPR that the country’s Constitution “gives an exemption to a lot of products that are considered essential items, like medical supplies and, for the cattle industry, cattle semen is considered essential -- and period products are not. Instead, there's almost 40 per cent of tax on pads”.

In 2025, Mahnoor’s team got over 10,000 signatures for a petition to remove the luxury tax on menstrual products. In September, a lawsuit was also filed in the country to reclassify menstrual products from luxury products to essential goods. But due to the unstable political and judicial nature of the country, the petitioners are yet to receive a date for the court hearing, the report said.

Meanwhile, India abolished the menstrual tax in July 2018, making it 100 per cent tax-exempt to improve affordability and access for better menstrual hygiene, especially for girls' education.

The decision removed a 12 per cent tax, treating menstrual hygiene items as essential goods rather than luxuries.

--IANS

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