1 month ago
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The Enugu State Government has imposed an N40 daily tax on corpses in mortuaries in Enugu State.
The Executive Chairperson of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service, Emmanuel Nnamani, disclosed this in a circular issued on 17 September.
Mr Nnamani said the tax was in line with the provisions of Section 34 of the Birth, Deaths and Burials Law Cap 15 Revised Laws of Enugu State 2004.
“The sum of N40 only is to be paid by owners of a corpse once it was not buried within 24 hours. The amount continues to count daily,” he said in the circular.
The chairperson directed the management of mortuaries to ensure that owners of corpses make the payments before collecting the corpses of their loved ones.
He asked the management to remit the payments to the agency through the state’s internally generated revenue account.
Why we imposed the tax
The imposition of tax on corpses has elicited several reactions in Enugu State, with some suggesting the government increased the tax to N40,000.
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Reacting, Mr Nnamani, in a statement on Sunday, said the tax was not new in the state because the law has been in existence since 2004.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the N40 daily (tax) imposed by Births, Deaths, and Burials Law Cap 15 Revised Laws of Enugu State 2004 was part of the effort of that administration to tackle the unhealthy habit by bereaved families to congest the morgues with their dead for many months, and even years in some instances,” the chairperson explained.
He said the state government has not increased the tax to N40,000, contrary to claims.
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“For emphasis, although the value of N40 was much higher when the law was made in 2004, (the state) government has not deemed it necessary to raise it,” Mr Nnamani stressed.
“Government is more interested in persuading Ndi Enugu to bury their dead ones early and take their time to prepare for the funeral instead of leaving them in the morgues.”
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