China has declared that starting next month, contraceptive medicines and devices, including condoms, will be subjected to a 13% value-added tax as part of the country's attempt to halt plunging birth rates, the Independent reported on Monday.
This is the first time since 1993 that contraceptive medicines and devices have not been exempt from the tax.
The change is included in the revised Value-Added Tax Law and illustrates the shift from the era when Beijing heavily subsidized and promoted birth control as part of the country's one-child policy, which ended a decade ago.
The price hike on contraceptive medicines and devices comes as Beijing simultaneously introduced financial relief for those who choose to start families, as its population has declined for three years in a row.
Only 9.54 million babies were born in 2024 — far fewer than the 18.8 million births in 2016, the first year after the one-child policy ended.
But experts say the contraception tax is unlikely to result in a significant increase in childbirth, according to the Independent.
Critics have also warned that it is not a wise move considering China's worrying rise in HIV infections, which experts link to unprotected sex.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.