Almost one year since the removal of Value Added Tax on sanitary pads with an aim to make them more affordable and more accessible, little has changed.

Affordability of pads has a long wait with raised but somewhat futile hopes.

Hopes were initially raised in August 2013, when the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) passed a resolution urging partner states to waive taxes on sanitary pads in order to increase their accessibility for girls and women.

7 years later in 2019 December, hopes went up again when Rwanda announced it was scrapping Value Added Tax (VAT) on sanitary pads to make them more affordable. The time was characterised by victory statements such as "finally, some progress,” by gender activists.

The removal of VAT which was at 18 per cent, pads costing Rwf1,000 per packet, were expected to go down to Rwf820—saving over Rwf2,000 every year—if one uses one packet every month.

However, months later, it emerged that little has changed. In February this year, a New Times spot check across multiple outlets across Kigali showed that despite the waiver, consumers were still paying VAT and the price remained unchanged and even increased in some cases.

The discrepancy was explained by Rwanda Revenue Authority that VAT was no longer levied since the waiver announcement in December which was meant to take immediate effect. It explained that shop owners are responsible for resetting EBM gadgets with details on applicable commodities and taxes. Shop owners on the other hand said that resetting EBM gadgets would have amounted to manipulation of Electronic Billing Machines which is punishable by law and is considered as an intention to evade taxes.

The high hopes began falling.

One year later, the hopes are gone with little having changed.

Affordability and improved access to sanitary pads is emerging to lack the attention it deserves, with little impact if any seen over the years.

It’s probably time to view access to sanitary pads as a basic human right.  Among the ways the desired impact could be felt to ensure no learner ever has to miss school during their periods is significant subsidisation of the cost of the basic items. This could be through seeking finances that can serve to subsidise their cost which has remained high.

Among the proposals that have been brought forth by activists is imposing taxes on products such as high end cosmetics. With increased and growing expenditure on high end cosmetics, this would be a great avenue to ease the burden on young and vulnerable women during their menstrual cycles.

Whatever other proposals exist should be given an ear and speedy action taken to address the issue that has over the years not only raised hopes of young girls, but left them waiting for a solution that doesn’t seem to live up to expectations.