Britain’s finance ministry announced that it had abolished the value-added tax on women’s sanitary products. “Sanitary products are essential, so it’s right that we do not charge VAT,” said Rishi Sunak, the Treasury chief. “We have already rolled out free sanitary products in schools, colleges and hospitals and this commitment takes us another step closer to making them available and affordable for all women,”  Sunak said. He promised to eliminate the tax in March when he released the budget but had to wait for the UK to leave the EU to make the move.

According to the British treasury estimates, the move will save the average woman nearly 40 pounds over the lifetime. So where does India stand on taxing sanitary products? India was one of the countries which led the way in exempting the sanitary products from taxes. The Indian government had in 2018 scrapped the controversial 12% GST on sanitary products. This step ensured that many more women from semi-urban and rural areas can afford to buy sanitary products. India, Australia, South Africa, are among the few nations that have abolished all sales tax on sanitary napkins and tampons. Taking a step against ‘period poverty’, Scotland recently became the first nation to make period products free for all women. But there are many countries across the world where feminine hygiene products are taxed at very high rates. Hungary (27%) and Sweden (25%) impose the maximum tax on sanitary products making them expensive for the commoners. Other nations like the U.S. (4-10%), Mexico (16%), Spain (10%), Iran (9%) etc, also levy high taxes on period products, making them dear for the female populace.

Britain’s treasury has previously estimated the move will save the average woman nearly 40 pounds ($55) over her lifetime. “It’s been a long road to reach this point, but at last, the sexist tax that saw sanitary products classed as nonessential, luxury items can be consigned to the history books,” said Felicia Willow, chief of the Fawcett Society, a women’s rights charity.