Prime Minister Gaston Browne has signalled that his administration is considering expanding the country's existing education levy to generate additional revenue for investment across the entire national education system, according to Antigua.news.
Speaking on Saturday's Browne and Browne radio programme, the Prime Minister said the measure would fund educational development spanning early childhood education through to tertiary institutions.
"We have to make sustained investments in education, and the burden must be shared between the private sector and the government," Browne said.
Browne was careful to clarify the nature of the levy, emphasising that it would remain a tax on profits rather than on business turnover. "What people fail to understand is that this is only paid when companies make a profit. It is not an operating cost and it cannot bankrupt companies," he argued.
The government is considering broadening the levy to include additional profitable entities while potentially exempting smaller businesses. Browne suggested that companies earning less than EC$1 million in annual profit could be excluded from the expanded measure.
"We don't want to hurt small and medium-sized businesses, but entities making over a million dollars in profit can reasonably contribute to the intellectual development of our people," he said.
The Prime Minister made clear that the funding would not be directed solely to the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus. Resources would also support the Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies (ABCAS), primary and secondary schools, teacher training initiatives, and infrastructure improvements across the education sector.
Browne said such investments are necessary if Antigua and Barbuda is to become one of the world's most productive and competitive nations. He also praised UWI Five Islands Principal Professor Justin Robinson for championing a comprehensive approach to education funding and for his emphasis on accountability and transparency in the use of public funds.
