JPM turns down request for tax waiver

Arusha. President John Magufuli yesterday turned down a request to waive Sh6 billion tax owed by a Catholic Church-supported education institution in Arusha, saying the matter was yet to be determined in court.

“It is very difficult for me (to waive the tax) because there is a case in court. If there was no case, I would have considered granting your request,” he said in his speech after the consecration of the new Catholic Archbishop of Arusha, Isaac Amani.

Dr Magufuli said he sympathised with the School of St Jude, a charity-funded education institution over huge tax arrears, but added that there was nothing he could do at present.

“Until the case filed by the Church is determined, I would be interfering with the Judiciary, breaching the principle of separation of powers,” he told a large gathering outside St Theresa Church.

Earlier, an official of the church, Aloyce Kitomari, pleaded with the Head of State, who was a guest of honour in the well-attended event, to waive the tax burden now facing the school which was established slightly over a decade ago.

Starting with a main campus at Usa River, some 30 kilomentres outside Arusha in 2002, the School of St Jude currently has several campuses in and around the city with classes ranging from Standard One to Form Six.

It was established by an Australian national, Ms Gemma Sisia, to provide free primary and secondary education to the brightest children from the poor families in Arusha on the premise that education was the best weapon to fight poverty. Until a few years ago, it provided education to over 1,800 students and employed over 270 Tanzanian staff members, becoming one of the leading private education institution in Arusha.

The church official could not shed more light on the tax arrears, but the institute is said to have accumulated between Sh4.2 billion and Sh6 billion. The Church is said to have filed a case in court, challenging the tax burden it deemed too big.

President Magufuli also hesitated to relocate a government school to allow for the expansion of St Theresa Church where the consecration of the head of the Archdiocese of Arushatook place. The 58-year-old Naura Primary School is currently sandwiched between the church buildings, the regional traffic police headquarters and the central police station. Its playgrounds have been encroached upon.

President Magufuli said although the school initially belonged to the same Roman Catholic Church and taken over by the government in 1970, he was not in a position to return it to the church for now.

“Once I allow that, I would be inviting hundreds of similar requests over nationalised property,” he said, noting however, that the government was ready for dialogue with the church on the matter.

The church squeezed land for expansion becomes the third request from the concerned stakeholders to be turned down by the no-nonsense President Magufuli who will be winding his four-day tour of Arusha region today.

On Saturday, he turned down a request by Longido herders to buy them cattle after some families had their animals wiped by the recent dry spell.