Petition to remove tax on sanitary pads

The whole ‘padman challenge’ has brought back to focus the long pending fight to remove the tax on sanitary napkins. Over 3,86,824 people have signed the petition to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley - on change. org, stating that the tax is unfair because women are being taxed 12 months a year, for about 39 years on a process they have no control over.

Emphasising that it will increase the women workforce and attendance of girls in schools, the petition put forth the most important aspects of affordability and accessibility at the forefront of the battle. “Sanitary napkins are a necessity. Despite the availability of newer facilities like the menstrual cup, many women continue to use it, while others use the cloth due to affordability. 

The Union government should make sanitary napkins tax free,” said Venessa G, an activist. Activist Archana Sekar said, “If taxing sanitary napkins is going to start a conversation about women using other items that are environment friendly, then it is welcome. However, from a user perspective, taxing pad sounds ridiculous.” She added, “We should focus on making sanitary aid easily accessible and affordable.”