We are tired of multiple taxation, private school owners tell Uvwie Council

The Chairman of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, Uvwie Local Government Area Chapter, Mr. Ohikhena David has decried alleged multiple taxes on private schools by Uvwie Local Government Council.

In an Interview with newsmen at his office in Effurun, Delta State, David said the burden of multiple taxation is having untold hardship on them and poses danger to many private schools, saying unless urgent step is taken to check the ugly development, many private schools will be forced to close down.

David, who is the Director of Challenge School, said school business is not a profit making one, but established to complement the efforts of the state government in order to develop human resources, adding that imposing multiple levies on private schools is not healthy for the growth of education in the local government. He said, “apart from their normal  tax which is statutory that we pay to the government, we are made to pay for bill boards, parking lots, canopy and even food vendors in our various schools which is not supposed to be so”.

He appealed to authorities of Uvwie Local Government Council to give the body an opportunity to pay a lump sum as it is done in other local government areas such as Udu, Ughelli North and South.

The Chairman lamented a situation where touts are made to collect the money instead of paying the money in lump sum directly into the local government account, alleging that most of the agents are one-time members of the committee for revenue collection and still have the receipt in their position.

According to him, the revenue touts often beat-up Directors and pupils/ students of the schools each time they come to collect the levy and the school owners are not able to yield to their demands.

Ohihkena called on the State Government and well meaning Nigerians to wade into the matter, noting that there is an array of hope for the fees reduction at the state level with regard to the increase in renewal fees, which is N100,000.00 and N150,000.00 for primary and secondary schools respectively.

He disclosed that the association is dialoging with the State Government and thanked the State Chairman of NAPPS, Dr. Ochuko Akpeme, the Commissioner, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and the State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa for facilitating the dialogue.

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