MANILA – Kabataan party-list Representative Sarah Elago filed on Tuesday a resolution seeking an investigation into the impact of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law on tuition and other school fees in private higher education institutions.
She cited in House Resolution 1979 a newspaper report saying that over 200 private colleges and universities have sought government approval to increase tuition and other fees for the coming academic year “due to the impact of the TRAIN law.”
“TRAIN might further drive increases in tuition and other school fees collected from students in private higher education institutions,” Elago noted.
“The annual burden of increases in tuition and other school fees in private higher education institutions may be aggravated by Duterte’s tax reform which is now being cited to legitimize proposals to increase tuition and other school fees for the next academic year,” she said.
According to a report by the National Union of Students of the Philippines, the administration of Far Eastern University cited the TRAIN law in justifying the 5-percent increase in semestral energy fee, from P1,800 in academic year 2017-2018 to P1,890 in academic year 2018-2019.
“President Duterte’s tax reform law gives capitalist educations and private school owners more reason to justify their incessant fee increases to amass huge sums of profits from students,” Elago said.
Makabayan Bloc, a coalition of progressive lawmakers, has also filed a bill seeking to repeal the “regressive” and “anti-poor” provisions of the TRAIN law. Elago is a member of the bloc. (GMA News)
