Sindoor or sanitary pad? (Source: Thinkstock Images)
Sindoor or sanitary napkin, what would you buy if you had money enough for only one of those two? Almost all women would raise their hands for a sanitary napkin for obvious reasons. However, the government clearly thinks otherwise. A quick skim through the GST tax slab shows how the products for women have been segregated, and the unjust tax on sanitary pads has led to anger on social media.
Buzz is that when the tax brackets were being mapped out, it was announced that the items of utmost importance for a household would be exempted from taxes. Around the same time, NGO She Says devised a campaign called #LahuKaLagaan to ask the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to make sanitary napkins tax-free. However, when the final provisions were announced, 12 per cent taxes was levied on sanitary pads. Meanwhile, sindoor, bangles and bindis were relieved of all taxes.
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In an article, Buzzfeed reported that around 88 per cent of menstruating women have no access to sanitary pads in rural areas. As soon as it came to the fore, Twitter has been buzzing with strong reactions on the same. Pointing out how the symbol of exerting patriarchy power is more important than a product to maintain women’s health, hygiene and well-being, Tweeple took to the social media networking platform to voice their opinions.
Read some tweets here.
Items that’re tax-exempt for being “essential” to women: sindoor, bangles, bindis
Items that aren’t: sanitary padshttps://t.co/AaV6pPs616
— Rega Jha (@RegaJha) May 23, 2017
@RegaJha @awryaditi pic.twitter.com/0pTkpFVLtf
— Desire (@Integritya) May 23, 2017
@RegaJha Very Very good point. Above items are luxury. Sanitary pad is very basic necessity. I am writing a suggestion email to @FinMinIndia
— Hetal Patel (@hetaldp) May 23, 2017
In Malawi, a single sanitary pad costs roughly a day’s pay. #mhday2017 @MHDay28May #menstruationmatters pic.twitter.com/r1B8O9Qanu
— Lara Briden (@LaraBriden) May 23, 2017
Bindis, sindoor, and bangles over sanitary products. #shaadikinishani ? https://t.co/raTqMafoaM
— Urvika (@UrvikaJ) May 23, 2017
India’s govt. taking tax off sindoor & bangles but not sanitary pads shows us again a woman’s beauty is seen as more important than health
— devasena ✨ (@Saisailu97) May 24, 2017
When you let men take decisions for women, you get 12% tax on sanitary napkins & tampons while sindoor, bangles & bindis are tax-free.
— Amena (@Fashionopolis) May 24, 2017
@NaayiSoch @hetaldp @RegaJha @FinMinIndia I do pay taxes. But I don’t want to be taxed for something I have no control over. I want my poor sisters to afford basic hygienic products
— Amanda D. (@BeingAnda) May 23, 2017
Govt promoting sindoor than sanitary napkins,so in periods use it, its cheap &tax free! #ThePadEffect #GST pic.twitter.com/iKTZxKPpXM
— shaurya (@OnlyShaurya) May 24, 2017
@NaayiSoch @BeingAnda @hetaldp @RegaJha @FinMinIndia Tax*
Condoms don’t get taxed, then why sanitary pads?
There’s nothing goddamn luxurious about periods— Lidia 💥 (@iamlidia_) May 24, 2017
@FinMinIndia Why is sindoor exempt, but a sanitary pad taxable?
— Kevin and the Zits (@GoldenfaceTL12) May 23, 2017
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