Private Schools Owners Decry Heavy Tax Burden

Private schools are choking under heavy tax burden imposed on them by various agencies of government across the country.

These taxes range from business premises, yearly renewal fees, waste management agency fees, local government levies, emblems for school buses, merriment levy, parking fees, radio and television fees and signage or billboards, among others.

These taxes are paid yearly to agencies of government sent to enforce them, at times, with the aid of thugs.

Investigations have shown that schools are taxed based on their size. The fees paid range between N200, 000 and N500, 000 depending on the owner’s approach towards enforcers.

These taxes are demanded irrespective of how long the schools have operated and within seven days demand notice is served.

READ ALSO: ‘Highly Important’ Chinese Bowl Fetches Over $25 Million At Auction

President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Yomi Otubela, lamented that there are so many taxes and levies being paid by members which is taking a toll on them.

He said fees such range from radio and television levy, parking fees, merriment levy even during career day for students to fumigation fee and annual renewal fees which may be as high as N500,000.

He added that apart from radio and television levies for school buses, levies for loading and offloading of children are also included.

There is also what is called “all local government fees’ by school buses, which is N100, 000 per bus. So, if a school has five buses, such a school will pay N500, 000.

NAPPS members called for a situation whereby the government will collapse all levies and taxes into one major tax to avoid multiple taxation.

He said the government could then withdraw money from its Treasury Single Account (TSA) and distribute it to the different bodies that make up the tax group.

He added that some of the levies involved ministries, agencies and governments at state and local levels with the Ministry of Health coming to demand for one levy while the Ministry of Transportation asks for signage permits.

Otubela described the levies and taxes as needless replication of taxes, which come in different names that he described as multiple taxation.