Pakistan Drops 18% Sales Tax on Menstrual Products and Contraceptives
Pakistan's federal government has removed the 18% sales tax on menstrual products and contraceptives, effective from the next fiscal year beginning July 1. The policy change reclassifies these items from their previous "luxury goods" category.
Background and Legal Challenge
The tax removal follows a lobbying campaign and a legal challenge filed in September 2025. Human rights lawyer Mahnoor Omer (also referred to as Bushra Mahnoor), executive director of the Pakistani nonprofit Mahwari Justice, filed a lawsuit seeking to reclassify menstrual products from luxury items to essential goods. The lawsuit invoked Article Six of Pakistan's Constitution, which exempts essential items—including medical supplies and cattle semen—from certain taxes.
A hearing date for the lawsuit is pending due to political and judicial instability, according to reports.
Usage Data
According to a 2025 UNICEF report, approximately one in ten girls and women in Pakistan use commercially manufactured menstrual products. The report identified no national policy or strategy for menstrual health and hygiene.
Women without access to commercial products reportedly use alternatives such as cotton pads within cloth, or cloth alone. These improvised methods are often dried indoors, which prevents proper sanitization. Reports indicate some individuals in tribal areas use mud or sand for absorbency.
International Comparisons
Pakistan joins several countries—including Malawi, India, and Nepal—that have reduced or eliminated taxes on menstrual products in recent years.
Remaining Barriers
Despite the tax removal, other costs such as import duties (approximately 20%) on menstrual products remain. Reproductive health advocates noted that eliminating taxes does not guarantee lower consumer prices. In Malawi, taxes on menstrual items were removed but retail prices did not change, for reasons that are unclear.
Omer stated that price changes in Pakistan will be monitored. She acknowledged that stigma and lack of basic health information, particularly in rural areas, remain to be addressed. In India's 2019 experience, tax removal did not lead to an immediate major price drop.
The legal challenge argued that the previous tax classification was discriminatory, primarily burdening women and those with limited financial resources.