Protest on VAT on private tuition fees has slowed

Mar 15, 2017 News

The ongoing protest against value added tax (VAT) being placed on private education tuition fees among other necessities for the sustainability of a comfortable life in Guyana has apparently gone cold. This was clearly

VAT on education

displayed yesterday when only one protester showed up in front the Ministry of Finance in response to a call by Roshan Khan.
VAT has been a topic of discussion for many Guyanese citizens since the imposition of it in 2007, and with the recent announcement of VAT on private education fees, has seen a wide sector of the country being directly affected, especially the parents of students of private institutions. The announcement also saw the parents, students, teachers, NGO and public servants protesting in front of the Ministry of Finance regularly.
According to the lone protester that stood in front the Ministry of Finance yesterday, the groups have not been pushing much to continue the protest, for they believe that the message has been delivered, and the groups that was leading this protest has reached some level of success; success not that VAT has been pulled, but that it has been discussed in Cabinet, and in the country.
“The pressure is coming down on the government by the people of this country that VAT on education is a backward step. We must remember that youth is the future of tomorrow and we need to invest well in their education,” the single protester said.
The protester added that the youths of today would be the adults of tomorrow, and those youths in three years’ time will be allowed to vote. “It seems like the government has forgotten that; students have said to me on countless occasions, that if this situation doesn’t change fast, that they will be voting against the government.
“Many people over the years at times had disliked our first President Forbes .S. Burnham for some of the harsh things he did to us , but he also did great things. Most notably he provided us with free education from nursery to university,” the protester added.