Finance Minister to make statement on VAT on private Education.

Currently engaging the attention of Cabinet is the public’s response to the removal of Education services from the value added tax list of zero-rated items. This is according to Minister of State Joseph Harmon.

He was at the time responding to a question posed at this week’s post Cabinet media briefing on the effect the tax would have reportedly had on students at the tertiary level.

Harmon also noted that while he is unfamiliar with the statistics Finance Minister Winston Jordan is expected to make a statement on the matter soon that will “lay the case on the table”.

“Sometimes it is in the implementation of these measures that people try to put pressure on you by saying so many persons drop out and so on. I don’t have the figures; I can’t comment beyond that but what I can say in fact it did attract the attention of Cabinet and Minister Jordan is going to come out with a very clear statement on the matter” he said.

The Minister of State was also quick to point out that in some cases “these private schools are private charter schools and therefore they do not pay taxes.”

Vocal critic of the new tax measure Dr Brian O’Toole, the Director of the Nations University officially voiced his concerns in a letter to the press some days ago. This letter has since given birth to an online and written petition against the measure.

Meanwhile, Harmon too says he has seen and acknowledged receipt of some letters on the matter written by private schools.