A grade-16 teacher has to pay Rs58,000 income tax, grade-18 around Rs45,000
Teachers of federal government schools and colleges run by the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) have warned of a complete boycott of classes if the government doesn’t withdraw its decision to abolish the 25 tax rebate. Given inflation and rising prices, they have also demanded payment of education allowances.
While talking to Pakistan Observer, several teachers protesting outside the National Press Club (NPC) expressed their strong resentment and disappointment at the government’s decision to reduce their salaries by thousands of rupees.
A grade-16 teacher wishing not to be named showed her pay slip for January 2025, according to which she had to pay over Rs58,000 income tax. “This is beyond understanding and a blatant betrayal towards the teaching community,” she said, complaining that the government has raised the salaries of the parliamentarian by 500 times and they are not liable to any income tax while the teaching community, whose salaries are meagre is burdened with such huge income taxes, she further added. “After paying utility bills, children’s fees, house rent, etc, I am left with little to spend on grocery or kitchen items,” she further said, requesting Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Education Minister Khalid Maqbool to look into the matter and provide relief to the teachers.
The protest was joined by the teaching community and a large number of non-teaching community members, as they have been included in the tax net.
Fazal-i-Mola, president of the Schools Heads Association, also addressed the Joint Action Committee (JAC) protest organiser forum. Unfortunately, the government abolished the 25 tax rebate instead of increasing teachers’ salaries. Employees are given several allowances in other federal government departments, but the education sector is constantly ignored.
The university teachers (from QAU, IIU and Arid Agriculture University) were also part of the protest.
Holding placards and wearing black armbands, the protesters demanded the government revive the 25 tax rebate and provide education allowance to all employees of FDE-run institutions.
“We are the teachers who train the young generation to live a life of respect and dignity, but our students (parliamentarians and bureaucrats), after reaching some position where they can decide about us, make our lives harder,” said a lady teacher of the grade-18 whose salary has been deducted by Rs45,000 income tax.
She also requested that the Prime Minister and Education Minister review the decision to abolish tax rebates and provide relief to the teaching community.
General Secretary of the Federal Government College Teachers Associations, Tahir Bhatti, also demanded that the government reverse the decision. Prof Rasheed Ahmed Khan, representing the Central Academic Staff Association of Model College (CASA), demanded that the government resolve issues faced by teaching and non-teaching employees and immediately restore the tax rebate.
