The VAT confusion
Protests sprang across the entire
Dhaka city from on Thursday in an absolutely organized student movement, to get
vocal about the announcement of 7.5% VAT on education by the government. Only
since the huge Shahabgh movement, was such a scale of protest seen in the
capital.
Finance minister AMA Muhith urged
that this decision will not be overturned reasoning that the system had already
been in place, which the university authorities have already agreed to. He
rashly commented denouncing the movement of the “most educated sections..due to
their lack of knowledge” for which he later apologized. He also stated that the
students will not have to bear the burden, the issue being reconsidered in the
coming days.
The NBR stated that this tax is
on the private universities, not on the students, but government authorities
could not clarify whether this had been extracted in this form in the past.
Students, as well as teachers were not convinced, arguing strongly that since
universities are not business institutions, they should not be charged VAT. Students
came to protests in the streets with all sorts of slogans "No VAT on
Education," "Education is not a product" and "Why firing on
students?”
Ongoing protests started Thursday,
consisted of most private universities who took the streets and blocked
Mohakhali and Gulshan, sat-in at Progati Sarani at Bashundhara and totally
occupied Satmasjid Road and Mirpur Road. Asad gate and Tejgaon aread also saw
some protests. It all started from around 10-11pm, while traffic blockades
created massive standstill from 2pm. Everything was preplanned and coordinated
between institutions over social media. Later, East-west university’s students
were fired rubber bullets by the police hurting 35 students, in Badda in an
attempt at crowd control. Later another scuffle by a group of young men was
witnessed later in the day, which was rumored to be a vested quarter with an
intention to foil the movement. Protests were staged also in Chittagong, Sylhet
and Rajshahi.
Apart from these minor incidents,
the demos have been peaceful with the student mass maintaining peace in the
streets. However, they, backed by many educationalists, agree that education is
a “basic right” and there should not be any form of tax on this, since it will
be extracted ultimately from students. Protests around public universities will
be staged until Monday, demanding the entire removal of VAT from education.
The NBR although, clarified that the
distinction between VAT inclusive and exclusive price, saying if not mentioned as
exclusive, it is automatically the other. Thus, VAT is, and has been, already
included in tuition fees. Students however, logically feel that since students
are the only income source of universities, there is no other form of
extraction of this additional amount, other than them. So, they are planning to
continue protests citywide.
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