Female MPs oppose new tax on baby diapers

Early this month, Parliament passed the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023 which will impose an 18% tax on baby diapers.

The Mityana Woman Member of Parliament (MP) who also doubles as the shadow information minister, Joyce Bagala, while addressing the media at Parliament on Wednesday, May 10 2023, said whereas the tax on baby diapers is intended to increase revenue, the country stands to lose if the productive time of mothers is wasted in washing diapers.

"Taxing baby diapers is only going to make things hard for women. It means that majority will opt for washable diapers which are cheaper. As a result, women will spend a lot of time washing diapers instead of being productive at work," she said.

Bagala also warned that taxing adult diapers will worsen health conditions of older persons arising from improperly handled reusable nappies.

“Adult diapers improve their quality of life and make it possible for some of them to continue doing productive work. It is important to note that many of these senior citizens are retired and lack daily income streams to meet some of their needs, thus taxing adult diapers will worsen their health conditions,” Bagala said.

The details of the new Bill indicate that mothers across the country will have to pay more for baby diapers if assented to by the President. 

An average mother who has been purchasing baby diapers at sh7000 each will now have to pay an extra sh1260 bringing the total cost for one baby diaper at roughly sh8300.

There have also been cries from different women who say some mothers in rural areas can not afford baby diapers already on the market, and that the prices need to be lowered to cater for that class of people.