Tax on private schools rejected

PESHAWAR: Office-bearers of Hub of Private Education (Hope), a body of private education institutions’ owners, rejected the taxes on private educational institutions here on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference, the general secretary of the association Sidratul Muntaha asked the government to withdraw the tax.She said that the tax, which is from Rs40,000 to 250,000, was an extra burden on the schools, parents and students.

The Hope office-bearer termed the tax unjust and warned of launching a protest campaign against it by closing the schools. She said that more than 3 million children were already out of school and that the number was rising every year.

Sidratul Muntaha claimed that the cost on a student in the government school was Rs5000 per student in primary schools and that in high school it was Rs7500 per student while the private schools were providing quality education at a very low price.She asked the government to make laws to encourage more private schools in the province instead of implementing unjustified taxes to discourage private education.

Sidratul Muntaha said that more than 90 percent of private schools in the province were charging less than Rs3000, which barely covered the schools’ expenses and the burden of these taxes would force the management to close their schools.

She said the government should have consulted the Private Schools Regulatory Authority and board before introducing the new tax. Sidratul Muntaha asked Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to withdraw the tax and provide relief to private education providers.