Ladies, our woes of having to pay tax for menstrual products can finally be thrown out the window thanks to this good news!
The Malaysian government is finally lifting the Pink Tax on menstrual products, including panty liners and sanitary pads, reported The Star. Hurrah!
According to the Customs Department’s website, menstrual items – like panty liners, sanitary pads and tampons – are free from the Sales and Service Tax (SST), which is set at 5 per cent or 10 per cent. If you didn’t know, these items come under “Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles”.
This good news was confirmed by Customs Department deputy director-general Datuk Seri Subromaniam Tholasy in a media briefing today (30 August 2018). He said that sanitary products are amongst the 5,443 general goods that have been exempted from SST.
Source: Metro
In comparison, Subromaniam shared that, in the past, only 545 general goods were not subjected to the Goods and Services Tax (GST). That’s a significant difference, don’t you think?
He then explained that GST classified panty liners and sanitary pads under “beauty and health products” which resulted in women paying 6 per cent tax for these necessities before the zero-rated GST was announced on 1 June 2018.
Now, as a result of the tax exemption, about 15.7 million Malaysian women will benefit from this. Yasss!
Source: The Express Tribune
Prior to this, Malaysian women were very upset with the previous government’s move to impose GST on products that were basic essentials. Following the outrage, a Facebook page and an online petition were created by angry Malaysians who appealed to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to place female hygiene products on the zero-rate list.
The public felt that the imposition of GST on sanitary products restricted the products’ accessibility and affordability, particularly for the low-income groups. Well, now women will not have to worry about paying tax for sanitary products anymore!
Source: The Malay Mail
This is definitely a step towards good change because the exemption of tax for sanitary items is one that will benefit millions of women in Malaysia. Let’s hope that the government will make more positive changes just like this one.
What do you think of the tax exemption for menstrual products? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: 3 Alternative Environmentally Friendly Menstrual Products M’sians NEED to Try
