Plea for withdrawing VAT on pvt varsities

In this year's budget the government has proposed a 7.5 per cent VAT on the tuition fees of private university students. As a private university student I consider this a barrier to higher studies. All students of private universities do not come from well-off families. Most of them are from middle class families. If the proposed VAT comes into force, each student will have to pay an additional amount of Tk 4,000 to Tk.10,000. This is not going to be easy for many guardians. Students come to private universities mainly because there are not enough seats at the public universities. Had there been enough seats available, no student would have joined private universities for higher studies. Education is a fundamental right of the people. It is not a consumer product on which we shall have to pay VAT. Private university students play a vital role in our development efforts alongside students of public universities.

All students of private universities hope that the government will withdraw the proposed VAT for private university students and allow them to pursue their studies without any additional burden.

Md. Abdullah Hel Kafi

East West University, Dhaka.

Kafi.ewu@gmail.com