Kosovo Women Seek End to ‘Period Poverty’

They say the 18 percent value added tax, VAT, levied on menstrual pads, tampons, cups or underwear is an extra, discriminatory burden on financially-vulnerable women - leading to a phenomenon known as 'period poverty'. But their calls have so far fallen on deaf ears.

"Considering the low level of employment of women in the formal economy in Kosovo, many women have to 'beg' their husbands or fathers - i.e. the traditional head of the household - for money to buy something that is essential," said Ernera Dushica, a project assistant at the Kosovo Women's Network, an NGO.

VAT on period products, she said, "is a discriminatory tax because it only affects women."

Tax an unfair burden on Kosovo women

Purchasing menstrual pads in a supermarket in Kosovo capital Pristina with the prices varying from around 1.30 euros to 3.99 euros for a regular package. Photo: BIRN

The so-called 'tampon tax' in Kosovo is on a par with most of its Balkan peers, even those like Croatia which are in the EU and could, under EU law, reduce the rate to five per cent. Croatia applies a 25 per cent rate; Slovenia last year cut its rate from 22 per cent to 9.5.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, has proposed to allow member states to scrap tax on period products, removing a current requirement for a minimum five per cent VAT rate. The UK scrapped its tax on period products in 2021.

The tax is a particularly harsh burden in Kosovo, where women face higher unemployment rates and greater financial dependency than men.

EcoKos Women, an NGO, has calculated that the average family in Kosovo spends 10.3 euros per month on period products. That might not be much in Western Europe, but...