The draft amendment that will exempt women’s menstrual products from Taiwan’s business tax is continuing its review by the Legislative Finance Committee. While received positively across the aisle, the Finance Ministry maintains that the proposed cut won’t directly benefit the women the amendment is supposed to aid.
The amendment seeks to amend the “Value-Added and Nonvalue-Added Business Tax Law”, effectively exempting menstrual products from the 5% sales tax. Legislators across party lines agree that the proposed tax cut would be a huge step forward for gender equality.
However, Financial Minister Chuang Tsui-yun (莊翠雲) expressed doubts that women would really see the cut. She questioned whether manufacturers would reduce the cost, stating that inflation or other expenses would increase pricing to nearly the same within a short time. Instead, she suggested that the government continue to invest in “banks” of free period products which distribute free period products and vouchers to senior high-school students. This program garnered NT$245 million (just under US$7.57 million) in investments last year, and Chuang encourages further study of the program's ability to target “period poverty”.
The proposal was favorably received by all parties, to which the Financial Committee also suggested expanding the scope and channels of providing free period products in Taiwan. Ideas include making items available at major supermarkets and rest stops while taking care to make sure that they are not labeled in a stigmatizing way.