•Govt accused of extortion and multiple taxation
Private schools in Ekiti State were closed yesterday to protest against Governor Ayo Fayose’s N1,000 development levy.
The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), the umbrella body of school owners, said the three-day shutdown was to protest alleged “multiple taxations” by the Fayose administration.
The association described the policy as discriminatory and unconstitutional against NAPPS, which is an employer of over 20,000 workers.
The government had announced the imposition of what it called “development levy” of N1,000 per term on each pupil in public secondary school while primary school pupils were to cough out N500 each.
According to a new circular from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the payment of development levy was extended to private schools, which has sparked outrage from school owners, parents and guardians.
Speaking with reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital yesterday, the state NAPPS Chairman, Alhaji Saka Adeleye, decried the government action claiming that private schools whose pupils were required to pay the tax enjoy no benefit from the government.
Adeleye said despite the fact that government never executed any project to the benefit of private schools, they are paying not less than 12 types of taxes into government coffers before the imposition of the latest levy on their pupils.
The taxes, according to NAPPS boss, include Annual Renewal Fee, Personal Income Tax, Pay As You Earn for Staff, Personal Development Fee, Registration of Business Premises Fee, Environment Levy, Vehicle Permit fee and Tenement Rate.
Adeleye maintained that the extension of the levy to private schools ran contrary to the spirit and letters of Section 42(1) (a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution.
He said: “There is no infrastructural development to private schools. Nothing was given to us to develop our schools, all it (government) does is to extort us. Even during the outbreak of Ebola-no kit was given to us.
“We use our capital to fund our schools. Not even textbooks, chalks from the government. The government distributed laptops to public schools but not one was given to private schools. So what are we gaining?
“Even if the government decides to reduce the development levy, we are not ready to pay. We have made several attempts to meet the governor but all efforts proved abortive.
“Even the meeting we had with the Commissioner for Education (Jide Egunjobi) ended half way as he was summoned by the governor mid-way in the meeting. He promised to get back to us but till this moment we never heard from him.
“In view of the foregoing uncontroverted facts, it is practically impossible for members to pay the new levy. It is our humble view that our amiable governor has not been well briefed or advised in respect of this matter.
“We call on the ministry to withdraw forthwith all the circular letters relating to payment of the newly introduced development levy in private schools and/or any other development levy.”