Dr Bawumia said the tax stifles the further investment in education and makes it difficult for private universities to avoid fee increases.
He said the removal of the tax was part of the government’s effort to strengthen private tertiary institutions to enable them to play their roles in national development.
According to him, the widely held perception that private universities are expensive is due to what he calls nuisance taxes that were slapped on such institutions.
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In a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Tetteh, at the 11th Congregation of the Presbyterian University College of Ghana (PUCG) at Abetifi in the Eastern Region over the weekend, where 874 students graduated in various disciplines, he said the government is determined to strengthen education at all stages through adequate funding.
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"Over the years, successive governments have been confronted with the challenge of inadequate funding for higher education. As part of efforts to tackle this, the government has committed itself to the establishment of a research fund for higher learning," he said.
He said the tax stifles the further investment in education and makes it difficult for private universities to avoid fee increases.
