The imposition of sanitary pad taxes has been sharply condemned by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin, says it is a cardinal sin.
A petition presented by several civil society organisations seeking the elimination of sanitary pad levies was used to bring the issue to the attention of Parliament.
The Speaker expressed his strong displeasure with the taxing of sanitary pads and emphasised the necessity for rapid government action to address this issue.
“The issue they raise is a very serious issue, why have we passed a law imposing taxes on sanitary pads? This is unconscionable, it is a cardinal sin. The House shouldn’t have allowed it at all. You know the impact of that law on human resource development is immeasurable.
“I have a copy of the petition and I am going to take immediate action to prevent whoever is the minister proposing that thing to take it off. The next budget it must not appear, it cannot be a tax.”
The Speaker’s statements came after a demonstration by a group of Civil Society Organisations requesting that the government remove sanitary pad charges.
According to the organisation, the 12.5 percent VAT and the 20 percent import duty on sanitary pads have resulted in large price increases, rendering them unaffordable for many women, who account for 51 percent of Ghana’s population.
Ama Pratt, a spokesperson for the group, claimed that they would continue their attempts to have the taxes eliminated by the government.
However, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) have cautioned government against such a move, adding that it would have serious economic effects.
The AGI issued a warning to the Akufo-Addo administration advising against removing duties on imported sanitary pads.
Any attempt by the government to reduce duties on imported sanitary pads at the expense of local manufacturers, according to the group, would be damaging to the economy.
