The House of Representatives (HoR), through its Committee on Health, on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, held a crucial engagement with Public Health Initiative Liberia (PHIL) in partnership with WaterAid Liberia -HerWASH Project.
The discussion center on the urgent need to remove taxes on menstrual health and hygiene (MHM) products.
The roundtable discussion brought together lawmakers, health advocates, and technical experts, who examined the impact of period poverty and explore policy options for improving access to menstrual products in the country.
PHIL Executive Director, Joyce Kilipo said, the engagement was part of a broader initiative funded by Global Affairs Canada through WaterAid.
PHIL, Madam Kilipo said, has been actively working in Grand Cape Mount County and at the national level promoting menstrual health and hygiene.
Despite being a biological necessity for more than half of the country’s population, menstrual products remain unaffordable, inaccessible, and heavily taxed.
“Currently, menstrual products are subject to a 20 percent import duty and a 10 percent goods and services tax (GST), as they are categorized under general goods, rather than essential health commodities’ she said.
According to Madam Kilipo, many girls and women in the country, especially those in rural and low-income communities, are forced to use unhygienic alternatives like rags, newspapers, or even leaves due to lack of access.
“This results in infections, missed school days, reduced productivity, and long-term health complications.”
She then called on the lawmakers to remove the 20 percent import duty and 10 percent GST on menstrual products.
Classify menstrual products as essential health items, similar to rice, medicine, and agricultural inputs.
Promote local production of affordable and eco-friendly sanitary products through budgetary incentives and technical support.
Removing taxes on menstrual products, she said, would align the country with over 30 countries, including Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, the UK, and Canada, that have already eliminated such taxes in pursuit of gender, justice and public health equity.
House’s Chairperson of the Committee on Health, Julie F. Wiah, welcomed the initiative, and acknowledged the need for legislative action.