Pakistan Scraps 18% Sales Tax on Sanitary Products

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced in the 2026–27 budget that the 18 percent sales tax on menstrual products would be eliminated. The change follows a constitutional petition filed in January 2025 by women’s-rights activist and human-rights lawyer Mahnoor Omer (25) and tax lawyer Ahsan Jahangir Khan (29). Under the Sales Tax Act of 1990, sanitary products were taxed like any other consumer good, and imported items faced an additional 25 percent customs duty, inflating retail prices by as much as 40 percent.

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Campaigners note that only 12 percent of Pakistani women use commercial sanitary products, while just 27 percent view menstruation as a natural biological process. The tax, coupled with cultural stigma, forced many to rely on unhygienic fabric scraps, risking infections. Omer and Khan’s petition argued that the levy violated equality and dignity guarantees. After the Federal Board of Revenue initially defended the tax as lawful, the government withdrew its defence by July 2025 and announced the repeal.

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UNICEF Pakistan called the repeal “a meaningful step towards addressing period poverty by recognising menstrual products as essential health and hygiene items rather than luxury goods.” The finance minister’s floor speech described menstrual products as essential to women’s health, marking the first time the term appeared in parliamentary language.

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Activists stress that the sales-tax removal will only marginally lower costs because the 25 percent customs duty remains. Khan emphasized that the fight continues until the courts declare the products fully tax-free. Omer is also planning a campaign for mandatory sexual and reproductive health education in schools, aiming to address the deeper stigma surrounding menstruation.

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• “I felt like we were competing with each other for the supplies,” — Bushra Mahnoor, activist

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• “In a province large enough to fit 20 European countries, menstruation has never been discussed this openly in the Punjab Assembly,” — Mahnoor Omer, human-rights activist

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• “Our fight didn’t end with the government saying they will abolish the sales tax; it continues until the court declares this product tax-free,” — Ahsan Jahangir Khan, tax lawyer

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• “Unicef Pakistan told Middle East Eye: “It was a meaningful step towards addressing period poverty by recognising menstrual products as essential health and hygiene items rather than luxury goods.” — UNICEF Pakistan

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• “I think menstruation products were never included on the list of essential goods because menstruation is a term refused to be uttered on the Punjab assembly floor. But it has now, and that’s a significant step forward.” — Mahnoor Omer, activist

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