Proprietors decry multiple taxes on private schools

The proprietors met in Ogun state weekend

The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, has decried the several taxes placed on their institutions by the government, warning that the practices poses a threat to the existence and survival of private schools across the country.

The association cried out over this in a communique issued at the end of its South-West Zonal delegates conference held at the premises of Taidob College,Abeokuta, Ogun state, and therefore appealed for a harmonised taxation in the interest of nation education.

The nine point communique read by the association’s South-West regional president, Dosu-Idowu Moses, also posited that the government should not see the private education sector as revenue generation means and proceeds from such schools should be tax free.

“The government in various states of Nigeria must have a well-articulated and defined programme of educational relationship with the private schools, the private schools should henceforth not be loaded with burden of multiple taxation but a harmonised one put in place to make proprietors of such schools less stressful,” the group said.

The association also called on the government to ensure that private schools benefit from national and international resources accruing to improve the standard of education in various states since the purpose is to train every Nigerian child.

“NAPPS as an umbrella body of other associations should be made to be part of committee to determine the educational policies in our various states,” it stated.

“Policy action to alleviate the problems of private schools and their publishers be put into consideration to make text books cheaper for students and reduce the royalties, custom duties and other levies payable by these publishers.”

The association called on the government as a regulator to also influence all financial institutions and oil companies to have special leverage for private schools in terms of scholarship, endowment, grants and low interest rate loans.

“State government should abide by resolutions of National Council on Education religiously. The association decries in strong term, the face-off between the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities and should be called off in the interest of Nigerian future leaders,” it said.