Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene recently released a report on the review of the current list of items that are zero-rated for value-added tax (VAT), recommending that sanitary products and nappies be included in the list of zero-rated items.
ACDP Member of Parliament Cheryllyn Dudley today said that, “The ACDP welcomes recommendations that sanitary products have no VAT levied on them. This is good news for girls and women, and we urge Minister Nhlanhla Nene to act on these recommendations”.
- The ACDP urges Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene to include these in the list of zero-rated items
- The ACDP calls on government to find the budget to provide basic sanitary items free of charge where necessary
“As millions of girls miss more than a week a month of schooling if they lack the money to purchase sanitary pads, this affects the education and future careers of female learners and ultimately affects us all as the contribution of women to the economy is an important element.”
“The ACDP applauds the work of Project Dignity (PD) that has fundraised to distribute best option free sanitary packs called ‘Subz’ that are washable, re-usable and biodegradable”, Dudley says.
Project Dignity’s CEO, Sue Barnes, says PD has supplied 150 thousand free packs. Whilst this represents a lot of hard work, as she says, that’s just a fraction of those required by the four million needy girls in South Africa.
Dudley said the “ACDP calls on government to find the budget to provide basic sanitary items free of charge where necessary.”
Women make up one half of the population of South Africa, and menstruation affects them for thirty to forty years of their lives.
Written by: Cheryllyn Dudley
Article Source: ACDP
