The Association of Private Schools in Edo State has appealed to the government to revoke the increase in personal income tax and PAYE, terming it as unjust.
The proprietors of private schools, who held a calm demonstration in Benin on Friday, claimed that the government had raised taxes by 200 to 400 percent.
Based on a report from the News Agency of Nigeria The demonstrators assembled at the Ministry of Education to voice their concerns, characterizing the tax rise as a worrying escalation.
Dr. Ohis-Olakhe Emmanuel, who leads both the coalition and the protest, mentioned that the group has tried every possible means of discussion before deciding to hold this demonstration.
"Private institutions do more than just support governmental initiatives in education; they also play a significant role as large employers. Due to this growth, approximately 300,000 educators could potentially lose their positions—let alone the numerous suppliers and service workers dependent on schools for income," he stated.
Emmanuel criticized the approach to calculating taxes, stating that it relied on a per-student figure ranging from N30,000 to N35,000. However, he noted that most educational institutions actually charged significantly lower amounts.
He emphasized that taxes ought to be calculated based on profits rather than gross income, taking into account operational costs.
Additionally, Dr. Austin Igbasan, the Secretary of the coalition, cautioned that increasing taxes could lead to a chain reaction, such as school shutdowns, unemployment, and an uptick in the population of out-of-school kids, especially within lower-income households.
Reiterating comparable opinions, Oladele Ogundele, the Secretary of the Association of Robust Educational Advancement, advocated for a unified taxation system for private school owners.
He mentioned several charges applied to schools, such as individual income tax, payroll taxes for employees, renewal fees, environmental and health certifications, sign installation costs, and property rates.
"Education serves as a social benefit and ought to be supported rather than being taxed out of existence. Both the Nigerian Constitution and the Universal Basic Education Act stress the importance of providing free and mandatory education. Such high levels of taxation go against this fundamental principle," stated Ogundele.
In response, Edo State’s Commissioner for Education, Paddy Iyamu, reassured the demonstrators that the administration would reconsider their requests.
He pledged to organize a session with the Edo Internal Revenue Service to tackle their concerns.
“Iyamu stated that taxes are essential for the government to fulfill its duties; however, we will make sure that educational institutions do not face an excessive financial burden.”
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).
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