Pakistan to Slash Period Tax Following Legal Challenge

Pakistan's government has announced a significant reduction, effectively abolishing the 18% sales tax on menstrual hygiene products and contraceptives, as part of its recent fiscal budget. This move comes after a persistent legal challenge led by young lawyers Mahnoor Omer and Ahsan Jehangir Khan, who contended that taxing essential items for women's health was discriminatory. Previously, the "period tax" significantly inflated the cost of these products, making them largely inaccessible for many, particularly in rural communities.

The legal petition, filed in late 2025, argued that menstrual products should be categorized as essential goods rather than luxury items. Advocacy groups highlighted that the high cost, sometimes increasing retail prices by up to 40% when combined with other levies, resulted in only a small percentage of Pakistani women using commercial sanitary products. The government's decision is seen as a crucial step towards improving menstrual hygiene accessibility and challenging long-standing social stigmas surrounding women's health.