ACT TEACHERS Partylist Rep.  France Castro on Friday urged private schools not to increase tuition since their request to suspend the implementation of 25 percent corporate income tax had been granted.

Castro said that many parents are still struggling with the demands of the distance learning and the worsening economic crisis in the country.

The lawmaker welcomed the decision of the Department of Finance and the Bureau of Internal Revenue to suspend the implementation of Revenue Regulations No. 5-2021.

“As many private schools continue to struggle amid the worsening pandemic situation in the blended distance learning, a substantial increase in tax will cause more private schools to close down,” Castro said.

“Imposing an increase in the schools’ corporate income tax which also threatens the employment of thousands of private school teachers will not help ease the education crisis,” she stressed.

Castro cited reports of private school teachers who have been retrenched due to closure of schools and lower enrollment rate.

“These private school teachers have received little to no aid from the government from their social amelioration programs. Having inadequate budget allocation for these social amelioration program would only mean that many private school teachers will still not be able to avail of government aid,” she said.