Saint Lucia applies price control for women’s sanitary products

The cabinet of Saint Lucia took the decision to apply price control laws on the sale of women’s sanitary products on the 25^th of September. The decision was taken on the basis of a memorandum submitted by the Ministry of Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Co-operatives and Consumer Affairs.

With in the frame work of this amendment, there are provisions to ensure that women’s sanitary napkins are placed with in a price control scheme, that is in accordance with Section A of the Schedule to the Distribution and Price of Goods Act.

There are also provisions aimed at making sure that a maximum wholesale mark-up of 30 percent and a maximum retail mark-up of 35 percent for women’s sanitary napkins is not exceeded.

The time frame between 23^rd October 2023 and 1^st August 2025 is when this amendment will be considered in effect. This time period also coincides with the end of the Zero-Rated Value Added Tax Policy.

These policies are being considered big leaps in the gender politics of the nation. For many it is a sign of development as women’s rights and their basic necessities finally seem to be getting attention.

Women around the world have been campaigning for decades to bring basic hygiene and freedom to the fairer sex. Even in developed societies, the lack of such laws, shows a disregard for the difficulties that the female gender faces.

Pegging the price of sanitary products is a great way of ensuring that women from all walks of life have access to these basic necessities.