By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Enugu State Government on Sunday explained the rationale behind its decision to impose tax on corpses in mortuaries across the state.
The government said the move was not triggered by a revenue generation drive.
The Executive Chairman of Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS), Mr Emmanuel Nnamani, stated this while reacting to the Mortuary Tax circular addressed to all the morticians.
Clearing the air on the directive which has generated controversy in the state Nnamani said there was nothing draconian about the move as it would cost a leg and an arm to comply with.
He further stated that the tax was in line within the state Mortuary Tax Law which had existed for years adding that it was not new to the state.
Nnamani clarified that the mortuary tax was N40 daily only as against N40,000.
He noted that the money, though a pittance, will prevent people from abandoning their corpses unnecessarily in mortuaries instead of giving quick and befitting burials.
“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 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.
“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 the same to the ESIRS in any commercial bank under the mortuary tax in Enugu State IGR Account,” part of it reads.
A close study of the provisions of section 34 of the Birth, Deaths and Burials Law Cap 15 Revised Laws of Enugu State 2004 shows that ESIIRS has not violated any of the provisions and the claims in the circular are in order.
