Have you ever tried to calculate that in the past? How many sanitary pads have you used? How many baht have you lost? Sanitary napkins are essential for women. At the same time, it became a monthly expenditure burden that women had to bear. And how to deal with this? Should the tax on sanitary napkins be abolished? Should the minimum wage be raised? Should sanitary napkins be provided as a free welfare?
- Hungary is the country with the highest tax on sanitary napkins in the world, at 27%.
- Ethiopia has cut the tax on tampons to 10% from 15%, but women in Ethiopia who work one hour are still unable to buy a single sanitary pad.
- Finland has a tax of 24% on sanitary pads, but Finland has a minimum wage of 517 baht per hour, which means you can buy up to 500 pieces of tampons at the lowest prices in the country.
- Kenya was the first country to lift the tax on sanitary napkins since 2004.
- The most recent countries to abolish the tax on sanitary napkins in 2022 are Namibia and Mexico.
Rocket Media Lab, which works in information for journalism. Let’s take a look at information about which countries collect tax on sanitary napkins at what rate? Is there any country that has abolished the tax on sanitary napkins? and how much women in each country have to work to buy 1 sanitary napkin
What is the sanitary napkin tax and how much do you collect?
We’ve probably heard of the term Tampon Tax or “Pink Tax,” which is a satirical term for a tax on goods made for women. will be classified in one product category Each category of product category will have a different taxation.
Each country defines sanitary napkins as a different category. This leads to different taxation as well. There are countries that classify sanitary napkins as a category of basic necessities. will be exempt from tax Countries that classify sanitary napkins as a general consumer product category which are taxed at the standard VAT rate in that country or are classified as products in other categories such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices Hygiene products to luxury goods In which each category and in each category will have different tax rates.
A survey of sanitary-related taxes in 69 countries found that many countries classify sanitary napkins as a basic essential item. that has beentax exemption For example, Kenya, which became the first country to abolish the tax on tampons in 2004. Prior to that, Kenya taxed tampons at the same rate as the general VAT of 16%, the same as India and Rwanda. India eliminated the tax on sanitary pads in 2018 and Rwanda waived the tax on sanitary pads in 2019. Canada, Colombia, Malaysia, Australia, etc., and the most recent countries that abolished tampons tax in 2022 are Namibia and Mexico.
which countryCollect tax on sanitary napkins at the same rate as the VAT on general consumer products. For example, Hungary at 27%, which is the country with the highest tax on sanitary napkins in the world, Croatia 25%, Finland 24%, Argentina 21%, Albania 20%, Bulgaria 20%, Turkey 18%, China 13% or Thailand at 7%.
country withTax on sanitary napkins is lower than the VAT on general consumer goods. These include Belgium, which imposes a 6% tax on sanitary napkins, while the VAT on general consumer goods is 21%. Germany imposes a 7% tax on sanitary napkins, while the VAT on general consumer goods is 19%. Vietnam collects a tax on sanitary napkins in The rate is 5% while the VAT on general consumer goods is 10%. Cyprus is taxed on sanitary napkins at the rate of 5% while the VAT on general consumer goods is 19%. Ethiopia is taxed on sanitary napkins at the rate of 10%, while the VAT on general consumer goods is 10%. General consumer goods is 15%.
Why do we have to cancel the tax? Which country has been successful?
Sanitary napkins are essential for women. At the same time, it has become a monthly expenditure burden a woman has to bear, with the Huffington Post reporting that a woman has around 358 menstrual cycles throughout her life, using a total of 9,120 tampons for $1,173, or about 58,271 baht. Therefore, there is a campaign calling for the state to cancel or reduce the tax on sanitary napkins. to help reduce the burden of women’s expenses
Australia used to collect a 10% tax on feminine hygiene products, the same as the VAT rate. And on January 1, 2019, the Australian government announced the abolition of the tax on tampons and pads. As a result of the campaign to abolish the tax on tampons in Australia for 18 years continuously and during the movement. Australians have launched many campaigns, for example in 2015 Australian activists Created a video clip to campaign for a tax exemption on monthly products. The black and white video is a parody of Snoop Dogg’s classic rap song “Drop it like it”s hot” with more than 90,000 views
In India, where the tax on tampons was lifted in 2018 as a result of the film Pad Man, it tells the story of a man who learns that his wife must use rags instead of tampons. Because sanitary pads are expensive So he invented cheap sanitary pads to help his wife and other women. have access to cheap sanitary napkins After the release of the film, it became a trend and the lead actor Akshay Kumar continued to campaign until the change in the abolition of the tax on sanitary napkins.
From the survey 2015 – 16 national family healthIn India, more than 40% of Indian women aged 15 to 24 do not have access to hygiene products. In addition, statistics from the Indian Ministry of Health show that 70% of Indian women are infected with varying degrees of infection. due to lack of good menstrual hygiene products
In Colombia in 2016, politicians raised the issue of exemption from VAT on sanitary napkins. but Parliament refused. It agreed to reduce from 16% to 5% until November 14, 2018, the Constitutional Court unanimously voted to abolish Value Added Tax (VAT) on tampons and pads. for gender equality by specifying in the ruling that The presence of VAT on sanitary napkins And tampons violate the Colombian constitution that states that men and women are equal in all respects. The charge constitutes discrimination against women.
There are still many countries that have campaigned to abolish the tax on sanitary napkins. Even without success even with the abolition of taxation. But it caused a reduction in the tax rate collected on sanitary napkins. causing the price of sanitary napkins to be cheaper, such as Germany, which was caused by the campaign of Nanna-Josephine Roloff and Yasemin Kotra in 2018 signed a petition calling on the government to cut taxes on sanitary napkins. With more than 180,000 people signed on, the campaign was a success in 2020, allowing Germany to reduce its tax on sanitary napkins from 17% to 9%.
In France, where there is a public campaign with the hashtag #laissermoisaigner. That led to a vote in parliament in 2015, in which the majority agreed to lower the tax on sanitary napkins. As a result, France announced a reduction in tax on sanitary napkins in the same year from 20% to 5.5%.
It also found that other countries have reduced the tax on sanitary napkins due to global movements and in countries such as Belgium, which used to be 21% but is now reduced to 6%, equal to the tariffs. Collect from food and books. or in Vietnam, the reduction from 10% to only 5% in 2018
tax cancellation It may not be the only way for women to access tampons.
There have been campaigns around the world to abolish the tax on sanitary pads to give women access to tampons at lower prices. This reduces the burden of expenses that women have to bear. But it doesn’t mean that once the tax on sanitary pads is abolished or reduced, women will have better access to tampons.
Rocket Media Lab said in poor countries with very low minimum wages such as Rwanda, despite the abolition of the tax on sanitary napkins. But when considering the minimum wage and the cheapest sanitary pad price in the country, it is found that Rwanda has the minimum wage at 2.01 baht per hour, while the cheapest price for a sanitary pad in the country is at 108.25 RWF or 3.47 baht. This means that a woman in Rwanda who works an hour cannot afford a sanitary pad.
in other poor countries For example, in Ethiopia, where the tax on tampons has been reduced to 10% from 15%, but women in Ethiopia who work one hour are still unable to buy a single sanitary pad.
On the other hand, countries that, despite the high taxation of sanitary napkins, (Equal to general merchandise tax), but the minimum wage in the country is very high. For example, in Finland, where tampons are taxed as high as 24%, but Finland has a minimum wage of 517 baht per hour, tampons can be purchased at the lowest price in the country (0.94 baht) up to 500. sheet from just one hour of work
In addition, it was also found that although the tax rate of sanitary napkins is not high or the minimum wage is not very low. but if there are other factors It also makes it difficult for women to access sanitary pads, for example in Turkey or Lebanon. Where inflation makes sanitary napkins prices higher than they should be, for example, Turkey’s sanitary napkins prices rose 50% from last year. This was due to inflation rising as high as 36%.
Thus, it can be seen that eliminating the tax on tampons may not be the only way for women to have greater access to tampons. But may have to look at various contexts as well, including the minimum wage increase or even free sanitary napkins As has been the case in many countries
movement “Tax for sanitary napkins” around the world, around Thailand
In addition to campaigning to reduce or abolishing the tax already levied on sanitary napkins There are also some countries that have initiated programs for women’s health. The first country to start distributing free sanitary napkins to citizens is Scotland in 2020 after more than four years of campaigning, while the UK in 2015 set up a Tampon Tax Fund with money raised. from the collection of VAT to subsidize this project to distribute Subsequently, there was a policy of free sanitary products in government schools and nursing homes.
In Thailand, the year 2021 has a hot topic from the case of the Government Gazette. “tampons” are cosmetics. stated that “Give me a tampon that is inserted into the vagina to absorb the menstrual blood. It is a “cosmetic” which indicates that it is a cosmetic. This will turn tampons into a luxury item. And is charged with 30% VAT, so people are worried that the price of sanitary napkins may rise.
until the current criticism in Thailand along with hashtags #sanitary napkin tax #sanitary napkins no tax #Save sanitary napkins #Can’t you give away for free? However, the Director-General of the Excise Department insists that tampons are not taxed as a luxury product. because it is a necessity product for daily use which still collects the value added tax (VAT) 7%
Although at present there is no reduction in tax rates. or refrain from VAT rates on sanitary napkins from government agencies But there are some universities that have started pilot projects. Make free sanitary napkins for women Chiang Mai University is considered the first model university in Thailand. which policy Chiang Mai University Student Club with cooperative shop Chiang Mai University launched a ‘Free Sanitary Napkins’ project, setting up free sanitary napkins in women’s restrooms and public places on campus. including establishing a sanitary napkin distribution center for students who want to save money in 2021 or at Prince of Songkla University Pattani Campus started the project “emergency sanitary napkin welfare” for gender equality in 3 southern border provinces During February 2022, which set up cabinets to distribute sanitary napkins at various points