No cheap contraceptives as IMF rejects call to scrap 18% VAT.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) building in Washington, USA. — AFP/File PM Shehbaz asked FBR to approach IMF for contraceptives. No immediate chance of price cuts after IMF refusal. Relief may encourage smuggling to complicate enforcement: lender. ISLAMABAD: Despite having one of the highest population growth rates in the world and clear instructions from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has refused to grant permission to immediately remove the 18% General Sales Tax (GST) on contraceptives. The News reported on Thursday. As a result, condoms will remain expensive in the country. The IMF categorically rejected the Federal
