“During negotiations with the tax authorities, we submitted a number of proposals to exceed the arrears in return for payment of all the sums due,” said the statement signed by Mauritania’s National Union of Private Education Stakeholders (SNAEPM).
A week ago, the tax authorities announced the closure of 9 schools out of a total of 410 after they refused to pay their taxes.
In its press release, the SNAEPM stated that it has also proposed to pay taxes in instalments over the remaining months of the year and not in a single lumpen sum.
It indicated that his complaints were not favourably received by his interlocutors who demanded immediate payment of the full amount due, including arrears, increases, and fines among others.
According to the Union, the inflexibility of the tax authorities leads to further school closures or to additional charges being levied on parents.
This is detrimental to the future of students, especially candidates for national examinations such as the baccalaureate and the secondary school entrance exam, SNAEPM warned.
Mauritanian private schools began a strike about ten days ago to protest the tax measures before suspending it following promises by the Minister of National Education.