FLASHBACK: Remove taxes on sanitary pads – Tax analyst

Several pleas have gone out to the government on the scrapping of taxes on sanitary products in Ghana. Last year, a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Evergreen Graphics Limited, Jeffrey Ocansey, added his voice to calls for the removal of these taxes. “We plead with the government to exempt taxes on sanitary pads. This way, we can reduce the prices and unit cost of pads. So that the high-income and low-income earners can afford to keep clean and sanitary,” he stated. Read the full story originally published on October 15, 2021 by happyghana The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Evergreen Graphics Limited, Jeffrey Ocansey, has appealed to the government to remove all taxes placed on sanitary pads. He made this statement in an interview on the 'Epa Hoa Daben' show with Don Kwabena Prah on Happy 98.9FM. “We plead with the government to exempt taxes on sanitary pads. This way, we can reduce the prices and unit cost of pads. So that the high-income and low-income earners can afford to keep clean and sanitary,” he stated. According to him, access to sanitary pads is critical, especially for young ladies menstruating. Because of the high cost of these sanitary towels as a result of taxes, some young ladies get infections because they use alternatives during their period, “all because they can’t change regularly.” “Some young ladies who are not able to afford the pads use foam or cloth and this is not hygienic as it can cause infections,” he said. He revealed that some corporate individuals are researching into and possibly produce reusable sanitary pads to save cost and help the less privileged in Ghanaian society. Pads are important to the development of young girls. Many rural girls are absent from school during their period. The provision of sanitary pads not only helps keep girls in school but they are also considered a human right for promoting the dignity and safety of women and girls (Nancy Miller, PATH 2018). Currently, 20% luxury tax and 12.5% VAT applies to each sanitary pad that is imported into the country has made the commodity very expensive and inaccessible to many vulnerable girls in Ghana. During the 2020 campaign, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) promised in its manifesto that they will abolish all taxes on sanitary pads. But when the 2021 budget and fiscal planning of the government was presented to parliament in March this year, it failed to capture the tax relief component of sanitary pads contrary to their manifesto promise.