Tanzania to scrap tax on sanitary pads

Finance and Planning minister, Mr Philip Mpango

What you need to know:

The minister said this when tabling the 2018/19 budget in the Parliament on Thursday 14, June 14.

Dar es Salaam. The government plans to scrap Value Added Tax (VAT) imposed on sanitary pads, the Finance and Planning minister, Mr Philip Mpango has revealed.

The minister said this when tabling the 2018/19 budget in the Parliament on Thursday 14, June 14.

The minister revealed that the move intends to enable women to access the sanitary towels at affordable prices.

"I am proposing that VAT for this important products for women to be scrapped in order to protect their health. I quite confident that importers will lower their prices," he said

The initiative is to ensure the availability of the product for women especially those in the rural areas.

The minister also proposed reduction of VAT for government projects, which are implemented through loans.

The government has also exempted manufacturers of packed human drugs from paying VAT.