A member of the Ghana Civil Society Platform on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Archibald Adams, has stressed that the group will continue to fight to ensure that all taxes on sanitary pads, whether locally made or imported, are removed.
According to him, the current taxes on the product make it difficult for some ladies to afford it.
“We’ll not rest, we will continue to push and we are hopeful that eventually, we will not have any tax on sanitary pads whether imported or locally manufactured,” he said.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced on Wednesday, November 15, a zero-rate VAT on locally manufactured sanitary pads and the granting of import duty waivers for raw materials for the local manufacture of sanitary pads.
Mr. Adam said that although they did not get the tax exemption on all sanitary pads, they are appreciative that the government has taken the first initiative to remove taxes on locally manufactured products.
Again, he said his outfit will meet with the four local manufacturers to review what can be done to increase their capacity to produce more.
He emphasised that the removal of taxes will make a difference as the price of sanitary towels will be reduced, thereby making them affordable for all classes of women and girls.
He further mentioned that the group was in talks with the Ghana Standards Authority to develop a standard price line to guide producers of reusable pads.
“We are looking at it in two ways. We are welcoming this news, we will continue to engage but then also will be ensuring that quality is achieved.”