KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notices to the Attorney General of Pakistan and other respondents over a petition challenging the 40% tax on sanitary napkins.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry and Justice Jafar Raza heard the petition filed by Alisha Shabbir and asked all parties to file their replies within two weeks.
The petitioner claimed that the government’s heavy taxation of sanitary napkin raw materials has made them unaffordable for millions of women and girls.
She argued that under Article 9 and 14 of the Constitution, every citizen has the right to health and life.
The petition seeks to include sanitary napkins as essential items and seeks exemption from the Sales Tax Act 1990.
It also suggests placing sanitary napkin raw materials under the Eighth Schedule to ensure that tax relief reaches consumers effectively.
The petitioner further highlighted that classifying sanitary napkins as “non-essential” and taxing them to a large extent constitutes a violation of fundamental rights.
The court accepted the plea for notice and set a deadline of two weeks for responses from the respondents and the Attorney General.
