What is the hidden cost of your period?

Name: Donate a Cup!
Brand: asan store
SKU: DONATE
Price: 900.0 INR
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July 16, 2025

Sanitary product tax Menstrual product tax Feminine hygiene tax Reducing tampon tax

Have you heard about the tampon tax? Do you know if it affects the period products you buy?

The tampon tax is the tax put on menstrual products - which make them a lot more expensive and harder to access.

Let’s take a deep dive into tampon tax and how it contributes to period poverty and what countries globally are doing to challenge it.

What is the tampon tax?

The tampon tax is the Value Added Tax (VAT) or sales tax imposed on sanitary products like pads, tampons and menstrual cups. Taxing them as non-essential, luxury goods makes them difficult to access for those who need them. Toilet paper, condoms and over-the-counter medicines however, are some products that are tax-free or carry a lower tax rate.

According to the World Bank, everyday more than 300 million women worldwide are menstruating and about 500 million lack access to adequate menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management. This reality contributes to the larger issue of period poverty.

The history of tampon tax reveals a way deeper problem within society and legislation, one which views menstruation as a luxury, and not as something which is human, natural and powerful.

UK menstrual product tax Gender equality tax How to reduce tampon tax UK VAT on sanitary products

When was the tampon tax introduced?

The tampon tax, set at a crazy rate of 17.5% was introduced in the UK in 1973.

In the US, state governments have been levying taxes on menstrual hygiene products, such as pads and tampons since June 2023.

This tax, now reduced, has shown a gradual shift in being more inclusive in many parts of the world, but there's still a very long way to go.

What does the tampon tax mean and how does it affect us?

The biggest argument or explanation for tampon tax is revenue collection. However, the impact of the tampon tax is much bigger.

Taxing menstrual products that are a basic necessity and viewing them as a source of revenue seems to reinforce the lack of gender equity and representation in legislation. Tampon tax in the UK used to be 5%, while in India the same was set at a jarring 12%.

After many years of protest, efforts to reduce the VAT on sanitary products finally came through when India finally did away with this tax in 2018 and the UK did the same in 2021.

Sounds too good to be true right? While on paper this may actually sound good, but according to Tax Policy Associates, a not-for-profit advisory firm in the UK, the desired benefit that the customer was supposed to gain, did not actually filter down to them.

Only about 1% of the tax saving was passed on to consumers, while retailers retained around 80% or more of the profit. So what this means is that while the prices did go down, the change wasn’t much and the benefit was mainly absorbed by the retailers.

This highlights a clear need for better enforcement of tampon tax legislation to ensure the benefits actually reach the customers.

What is the current status of the tampon tax globally?

Kenya was the first country to remove the tax on period products in the year 2004 and at least 17 more countries have followed. In February 2020 Scotland became the first country to approve a law making all menstrual hygiene products free!

Other countries that have abolished the tax on period products include Mexico and Namibia.

In contrast to this, according to 2023 data, there are still 21 states in the USA that still levy tax on menstrual hygiene products like tampons and pads.

What can you do to eliminate the tampon tax in your countries?

While a lot of countries have already taken steps to eliminate the tampon tax, there is still a long way to go. Here are three ways you can contribute to eliminating the tampon tax.

Raise awareness through campaigns, conversations and peaceful protests within your community, and try to mobilise more support and awareness for the cause.
Make period products free and available in public places like schools, community centers, and public washrooms, so that those who need them are able to access them easily.
Sign petitions and get them to local and state legislations, pushing for the removal of the tampon tax, highlighting its effect on menstruators, and society as a whole.

How is Asan contributing to this?

Our mission at Asan is to eradicate period poverty and make the world’s best quality period care accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or income, and share responsibility for creating a greener, better planet.

We work with partners around the world to achieve our mission by educating, spreading awareness and distributing the Asan cup to communities where safe period care is missing. The process of educating, distributing, and following up spans across 6 months, which allows us to understand their experience, and really see the difference being made.

With our 1-for-1 donation programme, for every Asan cup that is bought, we donate one to someone who cannot afford it. For anyone who wants to get involved in Asan’s Social Impact work, you can head to asancup.com, donate a cup or get in touch with us to contribute to our community work!