Deputy Minority Whip Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe took the 2024 budget debate to another level when she brought a sanitary pad and a piece of cloth to demand that the government remove all taxes on sanitary products for women.
According to her, taxes on all pads should be scrapped so it is affordable for women of all economic statuses.
Making an argument on the floor of parliament on Monday, she said “The same way there is zero tax on condoms, we are pleading that for women this our pride and it is not our fault to menstruate. these rural communities are suffering when it comes to menstruation.
“This [sanitary pad] is GH₵20 in the market and I spoke to the girls in the rural communities, I went around myself with the Chairperson of the women’s caucus in this house and I asked them[rural women] how they afford to get them[pads] and the women told me that they had four girls in their puberty stage and they are menstruating, they cannot use GH₵100 a month to buy for them because they cannot afford three square meals a day,” she said.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta announced in the 2024 budget that the government will put zero-rate VAT on all locally manufactured sanitary pads.
But Comfort Doyoe who is also the MP for Ada constituency is insisting that many women and school children cannot afford it and have had to resort to the use of pieces of cloth which is unhealthy.
In this regard, she appealed to the speaker “we are crying, we are pleading, it’s a pity, go and investigate –Mr Speaker, I will tender the two evidence[pad and piece of cloth.”
Meanwhile, the Deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei Asare reminded the house of the tax reliefs the government had offered to locally manufactured pads and raw materials used in the production of sanitary towels.
“All the raw materials that are imported to produce sanitary towels we are bringing the revenue measure to parliament to take out the import duties. Beyond that, the locally manufactured ones too the government is taking out the VAT and that is the first step because Mr, Speaker these businesses will thrive so we need to start from somewhere and that is why the government has taken up these initiatives,” she said.
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagin shared in the plight of the women adding that “it is not right to tax the period of any woman, it is not right. When you tax sanitary pads, it is taxing their periods but the proposal has come to eliminate it.”
Meanwhile, he said women will be called into parliament in the coming days to present their petition.
“We will hear from the women. The women will actually be here in parliament to present a petition and I think that yes, as we cry for more we also need to ensure that we have a transitional period, a road map that will ensure that there is no shortage in the country,” he added.
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