Nepal: Youth activists demonstrate against imposition of luxury tax on menstrual products

After a pause for a few months, the youth activists of Nepal have yet again resorted to street drama, flash mob and display of banners and placards in a bid to protest the imposition of luxury tax on menstrual products and tampons. Previously, the Nepal government had committed to making efforts to bring the price of menstrual pads and tampons down. However, after months of inaction against the imposition of the tax, the youth activists resorted to peaceful protests on Friday. 

Speaking to ANI, Priyanka Budhathoki, one of the producers of the podcast series "Talks About Periods", said, “This is huge discrimination to all the women who bleed. Government should not actually impose any tax because menstruation products are not luxury, we are not using it as luxury items but it is an essential item that every bleeding people, not only just women but every individual who bleeds needs this.”

"So, therefore we are here today to tell our government that it is complete crap, everything they are doing by imposing all these taxes on menstruating people is actually very wrong," she added.

Protest against the imposition of tax on sanitary pads

It is to mention that the protests in Nepal against the imposition of tax had started after the House of Representatives approved a replacement bill amending the annual budget plan of 2021/22. The approval led to an increase in the price of sanitary pads in the market. Ultimately, this pushed the campaigners to hit the streets and protest against the government. They even urged the ruling administration to remove pads and tampons from the list of luxury items. 

In response, the Nepali Ministry of Finance in September stated that some people were spreading “fake news” and attacking the government without doing due research. But subsequently, the ministry later accepted that a 15% customs tax has been imposed on sanitary pads since the fiscal year 2012-13. A 10% tax was also imposed on raw materials used to make sanitary napkins in Nepal. 

Last year, while the ministry did not increase or decrease the tax on the products imported from abroad, it reduced the tax on raw materials used to make the pads in Nepal to 5%. The Ministry of Finance had said that it changed to 5% as the government wanted more businesses to make sanitary pads in Nepal instead of importing them. Regarding the allegation made by businesses, the ministry said that it has not increased any form of tax on sanitary pads.  

Since then, the demonstrators had waited for the government to make efforts to reduce the price of menstrual products which is yet to be brought into practice. It is to mention that even though the Nepali government has not increased the taxes, it still imposes a 13% VAT (Value-added tax) on the products that are imported from abroad as well as produced within the nation. 

(With inputs from ANI)