In our last national budget, our government imposed 4.5% tax. From that day I was thinking about writing something about it. but I was so busy with my academic activities that I wasn’t able to write my blogs. But I think it’s time to write something about it.
We all know VAT means Value Added Tax. When you add some some value to your product, you have to pay VAT to the government or Revenue board. Yeah it’s very logical because you adding some value and making some profit out of it. So you must pay VAT.But one thing we need to know and that is “VAT IS FOR BUSINESS FIRMS ONLY“.
Now let’s come to Education sector. Education is a basic need for human being. Human mind are enlightened by education. Without proper or at least the basic education, you will not be able to establish your basic right. You will not know what’s your rights are. That means education makes some positive change in human mind. We can say that Education adds value to human.
So according to my statement in 2nd paragraph we must pay VAT for education because it adds some value to human. Our government may have thought this way. So they have imposed VAT to university tuition fee. But I already said VAT IS FOR BUSINESS FIRMS ONLY. As educational institutes are not Business firm, VAT is not applicable for Education.
In our country we have around 50 universities. Many people complains that these universities is not for teaching but for education business. May be they are right. But still these universities are educational institutions. They ensures higher education for students. So there should be no VAT on university tuition fee.
Our public universities have too much demand but they don’t have capacity to accommodate the large number of student who needs higher education. For these reason, Privet universities are very much needed. And tuition fee in private university is already too much costlier than public universities as privet universities claims that they provide global standard education. Now with 4.5% VAT on tuition fee, education in private university become even costlier.
Our government is trying to reduce the illiteracy rate of our country. So they have undertook different initiatives like making primary education free for all, Secondary education is made free for girls. Government have also tried using Food-for-education policy to attract parents to send their children to school. All these initiative are really helpful to bring people under the light of education. Now look, government is trying to make people educated and again they are trying to stop them being educated by imposing VAT. It’s really a joke of government. They are following contradictory policy.
If you see other developed countries, you will see that government of those county have exempted VAT from educational institutes. Because they know the basic difference of BUSINESS FIRM and a EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE. But unfortunately, our government doesn’t.
Finally I want to say something to something to our government especially to Finance minister. Sir, you are a learned & respected person. Please understand the basic difference of BUSINESS FIRM & EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. And honorable Prime Minister & Education minister, Please don’t make people lough with your contradictory policies. If you really want to educate people then withdraw the VAT on university tuition fee. Because without higher study, education is incomplete. Please let us be educated and to think with our mind. We are the future of this country. So if we are not educated, this county doesn’t have any future.
I know you will not read my blog. but still I’m requesting you on behalf of all current and future students, ” Please withdraw the unnecessary VAT on university tuition fee and let us continue our study.”