Private Proprietors Decry Heavy Taxation, Closure of Schools in Enugu  

Gideon Arinze in Enugu

Owners of private schools in Enugu State have decried the alleged imposition of outrageous taxes and levies by the state government which they say is stifling them out of existence.

Recall that the state Commissioner for Education, Prof Ndubueze, had said that it asked private schools to pay between N100, 000 and N300,000 as education tax.

However, addressing journalists yesterday, the pioneer Chairman of Association of Private School Owners of Nigeria (APSON), Emeka Grahams, said that contrary to claims by the commissioner, the tax ranges between N450,000 to N2.2 million depending on the magnitude of the school.

He said that it was worrying that the government was already shutting down schools that cannot afford the high taxes, noting that the new policy is akin to manhandling of the school owners, which to him, “is unhealthy and unfavourable.

“Before now, we used to pay what is called ‘annual renewal fee’ of N30,000 but now, the Enugu State Ministry of Education has increased it by above 200 per cent, a clear indication that the government wants to run us out of business and at the same time rob parents and children the opportunity offered by the private school knowing full well that government alone cannot cater for the educational needs of the citizenry.”

Grahams regretted that efforts they have made for a change of heart have not yielded any dividend, as government is going about closing schools that fail to pay the taxes and only reopen same when they pay.

“Rather than receiving praise and recognition for their contributions, schools are subjected to harassment, causing emotional, psychological, and physical strain,” he said.

Reacting, counsel to private schools’ owners, Ogbuka Joseph, said that under the Nigerian law, private school owners are not required to pay tax because schools fall under Section 18 of the Constitution which stipulates Compulsory Free Education.

He said: “The government action will strangulate education and that portends danger for the future of children in the state. These heavy taxes do nothing to improve the quality of education but serve only to further burden school owners.”