Sanitary napkin exempted from GST in Delhi: Manish Sisodia

Reported by Sameer Dixit

New Delhi: In a move that will bring much relief to women, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Saturday that sanitary napkin has been exempted from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the national capital.

After attending the 28th GST council meeting in the capital, Sisodia, who also holds the Finance Minister portfolio, said that the GST on some other products, including products of bamboo, has also been exempted. The tax of around 30 products was discussed.

Sisodia added that many items under the 28 percent slab have been brought down."I think the 28 percent tax slab should be done away with. The issue is being unnecessarily dragged," he added.

In terms of tax returns, Sisodia said quarterly returns for traders having turnover up to Rs 5 crore has been approved by the GST Council. However, no decision has been taken yet on sugar cess, he added.

The plea to exempt sanitary napkin from GST has been going on for a long time. In January this year, a group of students from Gwalior had launched a campaign by writing messages on sanitary napkins to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to exempt the taxes levied on the product and make it free of cost.