KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 24
Experts and educationists recommended the authorities concerned to consider increasing investment in public education by imposing high tax on high-income earners.
They recommended it at an interaction on 'Investment in Education and Progressive Tax' organised by the National Campaign for Education-Nepal in association with TaxEd Alliance.
Furthermore, they said that investment on education sector should be increased through national budget, arguing that Nepal was soon graduating from the least developed country to developing country and the foreign aid would begin to see a dip.
Parliamentarian Anjana Bisankhe viewed that enforcement of progressive tax and judicious tax system, and monitoring of its implementation status lead to effective implementation of the fundamental rights in social sector.
Similarly, National Planning Commission's member Dr Pushparaman Wagle opined that we should consider exploiting national resources to operate the education system at the time when education sector in the country was not making stride as per the expectation.
Likewise, National Association of Rural Municipalities in Nepal (NARIM) president Hom Kumar Shrestha said that they were aware about the usefulness of investing more on education by local governments although they have not been able to carry out the expected works in development of education at the local level.
Also speaking at the interaction Joint-secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Dr Hari Lamsal said that discussions were not held on finances of education adequately.
He also spoke of the need to formulate policy encouraging utilisation of investment in education.
Consultant Sagarnath Pyakurel argued that it was the underprivileged and economically poor parents and students who were affected the most due to the low investment in education, and suggested taking more tax from the people with high income and investing that for the education of the underprivileged and poor section of society for the country's overall development.
Nepal Teachers Federation President Kamala Tuladhar urged the State for investing more in education to increase the services and facilities of the teachers.
Chartered Accountant Prabesh Acharya said tax revenue was not as per the goal and the general expenditure was up to one per cent of the tax revenue. In this backdrop, he suggested implementing a progressive tax policy and taking legal action against the tendency of evading tax.
Country Director of Action Aid Nepal Sujita Maskey, presenting statistics that 4.8 per cent of the total GDP in the world is allocated for education, stressed on increasing the budget for education in Nepal.
NCE Nepal Secretary Sudarshan Sigdel spoke of the need of initiating a debate from the people's level calling for ensuring free education to the poor children by collecting more tax from the high-income earners.
A version of this article appears in the print on December 25, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
