VAT ON TUITION FEES : Protests continue, students call strike at private univs [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

VAT ON TUITION FEES : Protests continue, students call strike at private univs

Local September 12, 2015

Students of private universities continued protests for the third consecutive day on Friday and called strike at all private universities from today for withdrawal of value added tax imposed on their tuition fees.
A group of the students called strike at all educational institutions for Sunday and indefinite strike at all private universities from Sunday, while another group called three-day strike at all private universities from today.
Association of Non-Government Universities of Bangladesh urged the government to reconsider its decision for imposing VAT on the private universities.
The association made the urge to the prime minister at its meeting on Friday, said its general secretary Benajir Ahmed.
The National Board of Revenue in a statement on Thursday said that the authorities of private universities, not the students, would pay the 7.5 per cent VAT imposed on the tuition fees. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the parliament and finance minister AMA Muhith at a press conference in Sylhet on Thursday endorsed the revenue board’s decision.
The revenue board’s decision created confusion, Benajir said, adding, ‘Private universities are run by board of trustee and VAT cannot be imposed on them.’
As private universities run on tuition fees, any kind of VAT ultimately will fall on the students, he said.
Asked about prime minister’s statement that the private universities already agreed that they would pay the VAT, not the students, Benajir said that he was not aware of any such assurance.
Association president Sheikh Kabir Hossain said that government did not consult the private universities before imposing VAT. ‘I cannot remember NBR had called us for pre-budget discussion,’ he said.
In June, while adopting the finance bill for the fiscal 2015-16 the government slapped 7.5 per cent VAT on tuition fees of private universities and medical and engineering colleges scaling it down by 2.5 per cent in the face of protests from students.
The High Court on August 9 and 24 issued two rulings asking the government to explain the legality of VAT imposed on private universities.
Private university students in the capital begin their current spell of protests on September 9 in front of East West University and police attack on them left at least 30 injured.
Protests staged by several thousand private university students in major intersections brought the capital’s traffic to a complete halt on Thursday, causing immense sufferings to city dwellers.
Students staged protests in front of East West University in Aftabnagar area on Friday morning. One of the agitating students Salauddin Mithu at a press conference called strike at all educational institutions across the country for Sunday and indefinite strike at all private universities from Sunday.
He said that they rejected government’s explanation that the university authorities, not the students, would pay the VAT.
He said the protests would continue till the withdrawal of VAT.
Salahuddin also demanded punishment of police personnel who attacked East West University students on September 9 and miscreants who attacked a group of protesting students at Mirpur Road on Thursday night.
No Vat on Education, a platform of protesting students, called three-day strike at all private universities from today.
Platform organiser Jotirmoy Chakraborty at a press conference at Stamford University around noon also demanded framing of a policy on fixing tuition fees by University Grant Commission.
Before the press conference, they staged protests in Shankar area on Sat Masjid Road.
There are over 4.6 lakh students at 83 private universities, according to the commission. Most of the universities are in the capital and some are in Chittagong, Sylhet and others districts.
Students of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology stated protests in front of the campus in Tejgaon Industrial Area. A group of students also took part in sit-in in Rapa Plaza intersection on Mirpur Road.
Private University Students Welfare Foundation, another group of private university students, at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity, called off their protests.
Foundation president Asaduzzaman Rono said that they called off the protests, as the prime minister, the finance minister and the revenue board had said that the universities, not the students, would need to pay VAT.
Jotirmoy Chakraborty, however, termed foundation’s stance a conspiracy against the student movement and asked all students not to pay heed to the foundation announcement.
Left leaning Jatiya Mukti Council in a statement termed the justified and called on the government to withdraw VAT.
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed students organisation, also urged the government to ‘settle the crisis of VAT on private education immediately’.