Sri Lanka: Ranil's administration cuts tax on female sanitary products; diesel prices remain same 

Despite Sri Lanka's economic turmoil, in an effort to assist women and girls who couldn't afford sanitary products due to the current economic difficulties, the government has cut taxes on them.

The office of President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday announced that imports of raw materials used to create feminine hygiene products will now be exempt from customs duties, airport duties, and other taxes.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Wickremesinghe's official statement stated that due to a decrease in import duties, imported pads and tampons will cost 20 per cent less. The announcement aims to "make hygiene products more affordable to ensure cleanliness among females."

Many schoolgirls and women in Sri Lanka, like in other developing nations, would stay at home during their menstruations because they couldn't afford sanitary products even before the crisis last year.

According to research conducted by Advocata, nearly half of Sri Lanka's 5.3 million women of reproductive age live in "period poverty", which means that they cannot afford sanitary products.

Campaigners contend that the situation has gotten worse as a result of chronic shortages of basic necessities and high inflation in the South Asian country.

Not just this, the new Wickremesinghe administration started enforcing a new tax of 2.5 per cent on all goods and services on Sunday (October 2). The government further reduced petrol prices by a small margin to match global prices, but diesel prices remained unchanged.

The nation fell behind on its $51 billion foreign debt in April, and now it is negotiating a $2.9 billion bailout with the IMF. The resignation of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July came after months of demonstrations against him and his government against economic har

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE