The Vice Chancellor of Uganda Christian University (UCU), Dr. John Senyonyi has asked government to give tax exemptions to non-profit making universities to ease their operations.

Dr. Senyonyi was Friday speaking at the ground breaking ceremony of UCU’s Shs10 billion Kampala campus project in Mengo, Kampala.

He particularly singled out Value Added Tax (VAT) and Income Tax which he said increase the cost of investments in the education sector.

“We pay other taxes and we are comfortable with it but these two taxes are hurting us,” said Dr. Senyonyi.

He revealed that during the construction of UCU’s Hamu Mukasa Library, the University paid about USD 600,000 (approx. Shs 2.1 billions) in taxes, “yet a library isn’t a profit making venture.”

“It is an investment aimed at providing an ideal learning environment to our students,” he added.

The Hamu Mukasa Library sits 1,200 people, stores 250,000 volumes of books and 200 computers in the open terrace.

The event was attended by among others, the Minister of State for Higher Education Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo who represented Education Minister Janet Museveni.

In his remarks, Minister Muyingo promised to forward Senyonyi’s prayer to government for consideration.