Jonathan Nwokpor
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According to the Enugu State Government, there was no push for income generating behind the levy on corpses placed in mortuaries around the state.
In response to the Mortuary Tax circular sent to all Mortuary Attendants, Mr. Emmanuel Nnamani, Executive Chairman of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS), made this statement.
The circular states that ESIRS authorised the introduction of the mortuary tax in accordance with section 34 of the Birth, Deaths and Burials Law Cap 15 Revised Laws of Enugu State 2004.
“The sum of N40.00 only is to be paid by owners of a corpse once it was not buried within twenty-four hours. The amount continues to count daily.
“Kindly ensure that owners of corpses make the payments before collection of the corpses for burial and then remit same to the ESIRS in any commercial bank under the mortuary tax in Enugu State IGR Account,” the circular said.
In response, Nnamani stated that the fee was not new to the state and that it was covered under the long-standing Enugu State Mortuary fee Law.
He states that the sum must be paid as the mortuary tax was N40 daily, not N40,000.
“It is an indirect tax paid by mortuary owners, not deceased family and it is just N40, not N40,000. Since its introduction, nobody has been denied burying their dead ones.
“It means that if the corpse stays in the mortuary for 100 days, the mortuary is expected to pay to the state a sum of N4,000.
“The tax is not meant to generate revenue but to discourage people from taking their dead ones to the mortuary all the time,” Nnamani stressed.
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