The misconception of parents and guardians on the payment of N8,100 tax levy as school fees for pupils and students in the ongoing resumption of a new academic calendar year 2023/2024 has generated the usual criticism of Lagos State Education Governance.
The realisation that taxation is one of the core internally generated revenue for the Government to meet its commitment to public demands, is key to developmental strives in the provision of necessities to the citizens.
Lagos State Government’s free education policy is still in operation from kindergarten to SS3. Tax payment, however, is a civic duty and obligation every parent must comply with. The LIRS staff are attached to schools for easier payment of taxes by parents.
Parents who have paid their taxes need not pay another but provide their tax certificate for authentication and verification. This can be done instantly by the staff of LIRS for necessary documentation to avoid double taxation.
Receipts for tax payments are to be issued instantly to avoid collection of tax payments bundled from parents with the use of one surname for many pupils or students. This is unacceptable unless the pupils and students are from the same parents.
The tax payment is an ongoing exercise and not about denying pupils and students from registration or enrollment into schools.
Jamiu Alli-Balogun
Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Lagos State.
