Pharmac rejects funding bid for sanitary items saying they are 'not medicines or medical devices'123RF Pharmac has rejected an application asking whether it could fund feminine hygiene products. The Government drug-buying agency rejected the request on the grounds that sanitary products were not medicines. Pharmac announced in February that a funding application for the sanitary items was received in late 2016, from private citizen Jody Hopkinson. A seperate online petition on Change.org to remove the tax on sanitary items last year received more than 3000 signatures. In line with other goods and services in New Zealand, sanitary products are taxed at 15 per cent via GST.

Source: Stuff April 19, 2017 01:13 UTC