VAT on English medium school tuition fees
HC stays govt decision for six months
The High Court yesterday stayed for six months a government decision that imposed 7.5 per cent value added tax on tuition fees of English medium schools. In response to a writ petition, the HC bench comprising Justice Shamim Hasnain and Justice Mohammad Ullah came up with the order. The HC also issued a rule upon the authorities concerned to explain why the decision of imposing the VAT should not be declared illegal.
Secretaries to internal resource division of the finance ministry and the education ministry and the chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) have been made respondents and asked to reply to the rule within four weeks.
The petition was jointly filed by two guardians of English medium school students, challenging the legality of the government decision.
Advocate Shahdeen Malik, counsel for the petitioners, told the court that the imposition of VAT only on English medium schools was discriminatory and violation of articles 15, 17 and 19 of the constitution. After a hearing on the petition yesterday, the HC bench came up with the order.
Meanwhile, a group of guardians and students formed a human chain on Sat Masjid Road in Dhanmondi of the capital around 11:30am yesterday demanding the withdrawal of the VAT on tuition fees of English medium schools.
The programme continued for an hour where guardians holding placards chanted slogans No VAT, No VAT.
The placards also read other anti-VAT messages including, We are not products, Education is not a commodity, Why VAT on education: why such discrimination? Guardians of English medium school students began their protest against the VAT three days after the government withdrew its decision to impose a 7.5 per cent VAT on tuition fees of private university, medical and engineering college students in the face of mass protests across the country.
