Indonesian MP calls for menstrual product tax relief
Selly Andriany Gantina wants the government to consider a VAT exemption or subsidies, citing the burden on low-income women.
Indonesia should consider removing value-added tax (VAT) from menstrual products or using state subsidies to cover it, lawmaker Selly Andriany Gantina said in Jakarta. Her appeal focused particularly on sanitary pads and the cost of meeting women's reproductive health needs.
Selly, who sits on Commission VIII of the House of Representatives, said menstruation was an unavoidable biological process, not an optional expense. She argued that recurring purchases placed low-income women at particular risk from higher costs, and that tax rules should account for differences in people's needs and economic circumstances.
She pointed to calls for a review from the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan). The commission said the existing approach to taxation gave insufficient consideration to women's specific reproductive health needs.
Selly also sought measures to make adequate menstrual products accessible to schoolgirls, informal workers, people with disabilities and women in low-income households. She said these efforts should be linked to sanitation, clean water, reproductive healthcare and menstrual health education.
She urged closer coordination between the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, the Finance Ministry and other agencies. While acknowledging the importance of tax revenue for development and public services, she said fiscal policy should also protect vulnerable groups and support social justice.
