Namibia: Stop Skirting the Period Issue

ALL PERIODS ARE equal.

But some menstrual cycles are allegedly more equal than others.

Some are worthy of financial support and others not.

The ones requiring pads are worthy of support, but not those requiring tampons.

This seems to be the message of the Ministry of Finance when it decreed that tampons will not be exempt from value added tax (VAT), as it considered tampons a luxury item.

VAT will not be charged on sanitary pads as of 1 January 2023, but all other menstrual hygiene products will…