The prime minister made the remarks during an ECNEC meeting on Tuesday where Muhith raised the matter, according to Planning Minister AHM Mostafa Kamal. “The prime minister said that no new tax will be imposed on students of the private universities,” Kamal said at a briefing following the meeting. “All types of income of the private universities will remain tax-free in order to promote education.”Earlier in a pre-budget event, Finance Minister Muhith had said that private university owners would have to pay VAT. “The finance minister’s comments regarding the imposition of VAT on private universities is his personal opinion and does not reflect the views of the government,” said Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader in a statement issued from his ministry on Tuesday. In September, 2015 students at private universities began a protest against VAT on higher education, forcing the government to retract it.

Source: bd News24 April 10, 2018 11:15 UTC