In the face of government’s refusal to repeal the implementation of Value Added Tax (VAT) on private school fees, Director of School of the Nations Brian O’Toole has said that he, along with the operators of several other private schools, will continue to protest the decision.
Speaking with the Sunday Stabroek yesterday he said Nations’ Student Council and the other schools will be continuing to seek signatures on a petition calling for repeal of the tax. More than 14,000 signatures have already been sourced in support of this petition, which begun after private education became subject to VAT on February 1, as a measure of the 2017 national budget.
“There will be another booth at Giftland Mall on Sunday [today]. Visits are planned to a host of public and private schools on Monday and Tuesday. The results of these will be presented to the President and Ministers Jordan and Roopnaraine next Friday,” O’Toole said.
The petition titled, “Education is a Necessity, Let it be VAT free” was submitted on February 24 to the Ministry of the Presidency, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education in an attempt to have the measure repealed. President David Granger facilitated a discussion on the issue at a Ministerial Conference held last Tuesday where Minister of Finance Winston Jordan staunchly defended the policy.
Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Jordan maintained that this application of VAT is part of government’s drive to reduce the tax rate and broaden the tax base. He explained that as a lucrative industry, whose top 8 earners rake in more than $2 billion a year, private school tuition can net the government in excess of $350 million a year.
According to Jordan, to repeal the tax and forego this income will have consequences for government’s 2017 economic programme.
O’Toole yesterday explained further that a coalition of private schools is being formed under the direction of Stacey French of the Mae’s Schools with the intent of organizing a large protest for this week.
“Protest was not the path I would have chosen,” O’Toole said, adding that if the government is impervious to the voices of more than 2% of the population, then, it would appear that resort to protest is the kind of language it understands better.
