China's new condom tax will prove no effective barrier to country's declining fertility rate
Published on: Jan. 19, 2026, 4 a.m. | Source: Daily Excelsior
COLLEGE STATION (US) Jan 18 : ` Once the world’s most populous nation, China is now among the many Asian countries struggling with anemic fertility rates. In an attempt to double the country’s rate of 1.0 children per woman, Beijing is reaching for a new tool: taxes on condoms, birth control pills and other contraceptives. As of January 1, such items were subject to a 13 per cent value-added tax. Meanwhile, services such as child care and matchmaking remain duty-free. […]
