Private schools association condemns imposition of VAT

Islamabad, The All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association organised a seminar titled ‘Private Educational Institutes and Value Added Tax’, says a press release issued here on Thursday.

Addressing the seminar, All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association Central President Adeeb Javaidani said that the future of millions of students was at stake with the imposition of VAT on over 160,000 private schools all across the country. He said that parents were also worried over the future of their children.

He said that around 160,000 educational institutes were sharing government’s burden of educating around 20 million students.

He said according to the 1973 Constitution, imparting education to children was responsibility of the government, but it does not possess resources to do so. “Instead of encouraging private institutes in doing a commendable job, the government is imposing taxes on them to discourage them,” he added.

National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance Member Riaz Fatiana was the chief guest on the occasion. Addressing the seminar, he said that Value Added Tax will not be imposed until both houses of the parliament and assemblies of all four provinces endorse it. Even if a single assembly rejects the bill, it will not be imposed in the country.