Amid historically low birth rates and economic pressures from its aging population, China will eliminate a decades-old tax exemption on contraceptives.

China has begun imposing a 13 percentsales tax on contraceptives such as condoms, birth control pills, and devices from January 1, 2026, while exempting childcare services from value-added tax (VAT).

From January 1, people in China will be charged a 13% sales tax on contraceptives, even as childcare services are made tax-free, in a bid by the world’s second-largest economy to arrest its falling birth rates.

The Adolescent Health Focal Person at the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate, Doris Ocansey, has cautioned adolescents and young people against the frequent use of emergency contraceptive pills, warning that abuse could have adverse health implications.

Current medical guidelines discourage the use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) among people who experience migraine with aura—a type of migraine accompanied by temporary neurological symptoms—due to a heightened risk for stroke.

This is a message to Muslim men and women who love Allah, The Almighty, and His Messenger and the practice of what He revealed to His selected and noble Messenger, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullaah the trusted and honest Messenger, which includes abstention from ...