On Friday, private school proprietors in Edo organized a peaceful demonstration in Benin City to express their concerns about the "disturbing rise" in individual income tax levied by the state administration.
Under the CAPS coalition, which stands for the Coalition of Associations of Private Schools, the proprietors of these schools gathered at the Ministry of Education with signs and banners to voice their concerns.
The alliance comprises the Association of Private School Owners of Nigeria (APSON), the Association for Powerful Educational Advancement (AFED), the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), and the Group of Model Islamic Schools.
The demonstrators urged the State Government to overturn what they described as a 200% to 4000% hike in taxes for private school owners.
The head of the coalition, Dr Ohis-Olakhe Emmanuel, who spearheaded the demonstration, characterized the increase in taxes as punitive and detrimental to the economic well-being of the educational sector.
According to him, the group has exhausted all channels of dialogue with no result, prompting the need for the protest.
Privately run educational institutions are not just supporting the government's initiatives in the field of education, but they also play a major role as substantial providers of employment.
"Due to this rise, more than 300,000 educators face potential job loss, let alone the numerous suppliers and support staff whose livelihoods rely on school operations," he stated.
He stated that implementing the new rule of calculating taxes based on school fees between N30,000 and N35,000 per student when some institutions charged less than this amount was too severe.
He stated that taxes should be based on profits rather than total revenue, disregarding additional expenditures.
In similar terms, Dr. Austin Igbasan, the secretary of the coalition, contended that raising taxes would trigger a chain reaction with widespread consequences.
He mentioned that the consequences encompassed school shutdowns, employment reductions, and an increase in the count of children outside the education system, notably within lower-income households unable to cover escalating educational costs.
Mr. Oladele Ogundele, who serves as the Secretary of AFED, also chimed in, advocating for a standardized tax structure for school proprietors. He expressed concern over the fragmented taxing practices imposed by different governmental bodies.
He mentioned that the various tiers encompassed individual income tax, payroll expenses for employees, renewal charges, environmental and health permits, sign installation fees, property taxes, and additional duties.
Education is a public service that ought to be supported rather than taxed out of existence.
"The Nigerian Constitution and the Universal Basic Education Act explicitly stress free and mandatory education, something that this significant taxation opposes," he stated.
Following a brief discussion with the leaders of the coalition, State Education Commissioner Mr. Paddy Iyamu addressed the demonstrators and stated that the administration would consider the requests put forth by the school proprietors.
He pointed out that since the government was eager to create a conducive atmosphere for enterprises in Edo, they planned to hold a meeting with the state’s internal revenue service to tackle the ambiguous areas.
Iyamu stated that taxes were essential for the government to fulfill its commitments. He assured everyone though, that by the conclusion of the discussion, the educational institutions would not face an excessive financial burden due to taxation.
The commissioner urged underperforming schools to immediately implement corrective actions, cautioning that the government was about to start imposing tougher regulations.
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).
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