Balochistan Assembly Seeks Tax Cuts on Women's Hygiene Products

In a significant move towards addressing the pressing needs of women in Balochistan, the provincial assembly has unanimously adopted resolutions calling for substantial tax reductions on essential hygiene products. This legislative action underscores a growing recognition that menstrual hygiene is not merely a personal matter but a critical public health and human rights issue affecting a vast majority of the female population.

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Menstrual hygiene management was not only a women’s issue but a fundamental human rights and public health concern affecting more than half the population of Balochistan.

The statistics presented are stark: an alarming 89% of women and girls in Balochistan lack access to safe and affordable menstrual hygiene products. This deficit is exacerbated by a heavy taxation regime, including GST and customs duties, which collectively inflate the cost of these necessities by approximately 40%. Effectively, essential health items are being treated as luxury goods, placing them out of reach for those who need them most.

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89 per cent of women and girls in the province lack access to safe and affordable menstrual hygiene products, while only 11 per cent have access.

The assembly's demand for the federal government to exempt sanitary products and their raw materials from GST and other sales taxes, or at least halve them, is a crucial step. This initiative, championed by female members of the JUI-F and supported by others, reflects a commitment to alleviating the financial burden on women and improving public health outcomes. The strengthened representation for minorities also signals a broader push for inclusivity within the province's governance structures.

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heavy taxation — including GST, customs duty, and additional levies — has increased the overall tax burden on menstrual hygiene materials to around 40 per cent, effectively treating essential health items as luxury goods.