In continuation to protests that havebeen going on for the last two months against the decision to impose 7.5% value-added tax (VAT) on the tuition fee of private universities students, a demonstration will be staged in front of the Prime Minister’s Office today.
Students of three private universities, with the slogan “No VAT on education,” announced the programme at a press conference in Dhaka University’s Madhur Canteen yesterday.
Jahid Gogon, a student of University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) and a spokesperson of the protesting students, told the Dhaka Tribune: “For the last two months we have been waging movements to scrap the decision of government to impose 7.5% VAT on around 160 private sector universities including medical and engineering colleges. But our demands have fell on deaf ears, so now we have decided to take to the PMO.”
Farhan Habib, coordinator of the press conference, said: “Earlier we had submitted a memorandum to our Chancellor President Abdul Hamid,; still our demand went unaddressed.”
Students from around 20-25 private universities are expected to take part in today’s demonstration.
The National Board of Revenue, on July 4, issued a notification imposing 7.5% VAT on tuition fees of students of private universities, and medical and engineering universities and colleges.
Students of State University of Bangladesh, ULAB, East West University, arranged the press conference yesterday.
