Funmi Olaitan, Ibadan

Oyo State government on Tuesday warned the general public not to accept Local Government Poll Tax Receipts (LGPTR) in place of Tax Clearance Certificates (TCC) and Oyo State Government e-Receipt certified by the Station manager of the nearest Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Adeniyi Olowofela, who gave the warning, described the LGPTR receipt as illegal for TTC, vowing  to deal with any state or local government official caught defrauding the unsuspecting public in the name of collecting Tax payment as a prerequisite for registration of new students and subsequently issued receipt not up to the amount collected.

He disclosed that the government had received so many complaints on the activities of some individuals issuing illegal receipts in place of the presumptive taxes for new intakes introduced by the state government prior to the beginning of 2017 academic session.

Olowofela explained that the state government through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in collaboration with the Board of Internal Revenue, agreed that the introduced informal sector tax of N3000 should be a pre-requisite for registration of new students into secondary schools (private and public).

He noted that the payment of the presumptive taxes are applicable to new intakes alone, stressing that returning students are only expected to present the TTC of their parents .

The commissioner stated that the government had a subsisting agreement with members of the informal sector on the payment of three thousand naira annual tax  for which they are expected to have evidence of payment, adding that members of the formal sector are expected to have the evidence of the payment of their taxes.   

Olowofela stated that principals have been warned not to collect fees from incoming students other than the approved levies of One thousand, two hundred and twenty naira only (N1,220.00) for new students in Junior Secondary Schools and One thousand and forty naira only (N1,040) for stale students on the same level, while that of the Senior secondary schools stands at One Thousand, three hundred and twenty naira only (N1,320.00) for new intakes and One thousand, one hundred and forty naira (N1,140) for the returning students, stressing that the fees are meant for a whole session (3 terms).

He said "JSS students are expected to pay Parents Teachers Association Levy of N180 (N60 per term- N30 out of it will be remitted to NAPTAN), Report Cards is N150 per session, Instructional Materials is N60 (N20 per term) Sports is N100 per session, Examination for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd is N450, PTA code of Conduct is N100 for JSS 1 Students and transferred Students, Documentation N80 for new intakes and transferred students and ICT (MOES&T Intervention) is N100 and the sum is N1,220.00 while the returning students will pay N1,040.

"Senior Secondary School students are expected to pay Parents Teachers Association Levy of N180 (N60 per term - N30 out of it to be remitted to NAPTAN), Report Cards is N150 per session, Instructional Materials is N60 (N20 per term) Sports is N100 per session, Examination for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd is N550, PTA code of Conduct is N100 for SSS 1 Students and transferred Students, Documentation N80 for new intakes and transferred students and ICT (MOES&T Intervention) is N100 and the sum is N1,320.00 while the returning students will pay N1140.00."

Olowofela added that it is wrong for some individuals to say the government is taxing the students, warning that illegal collection of any fee shall not be tolerated by the government as erring official(s) will be sanctioned.