Private School owners in Edo State have lamented that over 300,000 of its teaching staff are at risk of losing jobs due to the alleged 400 percent increase in personal income taxes by the state government.
DAILY POST reports that the school owners under the umbrella of the Coalition of Associations of Private Schools, CAPS, disclosed this during a peaceful protest on Friday, April 11, 2025.
Chairman of the coalition, Dr Ohis-Olakhe Emmanuel, who led the protest, described the tax hike as punitive and economically damaging to the education sector.
“With this increase, over 300,000 teachers risk losing their jobs, not to mention the countless vendors and service providers who depend on schools for survival.
“Private schools are not only complementing government efforts in the education sector, but we are also significant employers of labour,” he said.
The protesting school owners stormed the Edo State Ministry of Education with placards and banners of different inscriptions to register their grievances.
They called on the State Government to reverse what they termed a 200 to 4000 percent increase in tax rates on school proprietors.
Emmanuel added that the coalition had exhausted all channels of dialogue with no result, prompting the need for the protest.
He added that the new policy of using N30,000 to N35,000 per student to compute tax was anti-people in a country where some schools charge below the amount.
He opined that tax ought to be calculated on profit and not the entire income, without minding other expenses incurred.
Also speaking Dr Austin Igbasan, Secretary of the coalition, argued that the increase in taxes would lead to a ripple effect.
Igbasan, listed some of the likely ripple effects to include school closures, job losses, and a surge in the number of out-of-school children, particularly among low-income families who could no longer afford higher tuition fees.
On his part, Mr Oladele Ogundele, who is the Secretary of AFED, called for a uniformed tax system for school owners, saying multiple layers of taxation by various government agencies were disturbing.
According to him, the multiple layers included personal income tax, PAYE for staff, renewal fees, environmental and health certificates, signage fees, tenement rates, and other levies.
“Education is a social service that should be supported, not taxed into extinction.
“The Nigerian Constitution and the Universal Basic Education Act clearly emphasize free and compulsory education, which this heavy taxation contradicts,”; he said.
Addressing the protesters after a short meeting with the leadership of the coalition, Mr Paddy Iyamu, the state's Commissioner for Education, said the government would look into the demands of the school owners.
Iyamu noted that the government was ready to provide an enabling environment for businesses in Edo, saying a meeting would be convened with the state Internal Revenue Service to address the grey area.
He said the tax was necessary for the government to deliver on its promises, promising, however, that the schools would not be overburdened with tax at the end of the engagement.
The commissioner called on schools falling short of required standards to take corrective action promptly, warning that the government would soon begin enforcing stricter measures.
