In a Beijing supermarket, April 24, 2013. WANG ZHAO/AFP
At the price of about €3 for a box of three in a convenience store in a residential district of Beijing, a single condom costs as much as a pack of entry-level cigarettes. And beginning January 1, 2026, they will become even more expensive: China will implement a 13% tax on condoms as well as on birth control pills, ending a 30-year tax exemption. This change comes as part of a value-added tax reform amid efforts to boost the birth rate. The reforms also include a tax break for childcare services and for "marriage matchmaking services" – that is, agencies and dating websites.
On Chinese social media, some users mocked the measure, pointing out that the cost of raising and educating a child – the main barrier to higher birth rates in the country – remains far higher than the added price of a condom. "Higher prices may reduce access to contraceptives among economically disadvantaged populations, potentially leading to increases in unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections," said Qian Cai, director of the University of Virginia's Demographics Research Group, on December 18 on Sky News. "Those outcomes could, in turn, lead to more abortions and higher healthcare costs."
