ISLAMABAD — Pakistan will eliminate the 18% sales tax on menstrual products and contraceptives, effective July 1, 2026. This change is part of a new budget measure.

For decades, sanitary napkins and other menstrual items have been categorized as luxury goods for taxation purposes in Pakistan. Human rights lawyer Mahnoor Omer filed a lawsuit in September 2025 to eliminate these taxes.

Omer said, "It's less than a year since the lawsuit to end the tax was filed, which is unprecedented. Court cases take forever, and so do lawmakers and changing the law, so I will give credit where it's due."

However, officials stated that import duties of approximately 20% will continue to apply to menstrual products in Pakistan. Emily Cruz, who works on menstrual health for the nonprofit Splash, raised a question regarding the impact of tax reductions on consumer prices in other countries. Cruz cited the example of Malawi, where all taxes on menstrual products were removed, but consumer prices for the items did not change. Cruz said, "Why haven't we seen the change in price? There's a question there that I feel like really needs to be unpacked."

Other countries, including India and Nepal, have also lowered or removed taxes and import duties on menstrual products over the past decade. A 2025 UNICEF report indicated that approximately 10% of girls and women in Pakistan use commercially manufactured menstrual products. Pakistani activist Bushra Mahnoor reported that she skipped school as an adolescent during her menstrual cycle due to a lack of product access and social stigma. Mahnoor said, "When I knew I might not have a pad and I had to rely on a cloth, those were the times I could not even imagine going to the school. It was a big taboo mentioning that you were on your period. But mentioning that you were on your period without access to a pad was just even more humiliating."

Omer said, "You can reduce the tax, but that doesn't automatically reduce the stigma."