Taxing private universities unethical - Sam Okudzeto

The Council Chairman of the Presbyterian University College of Ghana, Sam Okudzeto says it is “misplaced”, “unfair”, “unreasonable” and “unethical” for private universities to be taxed.

Speaking at the launch of the University's 10th anniversary in Accra, Mr Okudzeto said: “If the government is desperate for money”, private Universities should not be the source for raking in needed revenue.

According to him, most of the private Universities are registered by guarantee and not as limited liabilities and so they are not profit-making organisations to be taxed.

Parliament recently amended the Internal Revenue Service Act to remove private universities from the tax exemption category.

The Conference of Heads of Private Universities in Ghana has threatened to pass on the extra charges to students if the private university tax law is enforced.

The former President of the Ghana Bar Association said taxing private Universities, which have filled the vacuum left by public universities, will amount to discrimination against students of private universities since they would have to pay more for that same level of education.