By Felicia Udeji
The Enugu State Government has clarified the Enugu Mortuary Tax, which has been generating buzz online.
According to Executive Chairman Emmanuel Nnamani, the tax isn’t new and aims to discourage people from taking their deceased loved ones to the mortuary unnecessarily.
Here’s how it works: if a corpse isn’t buried within 24 hours, owners pay N40 daily. This amount adds up daily, so if a corpse stays in the mortuary for 100 days, the mortuary pays the state N4,000.
Nnamani emphasized that this tax isn’t meant to generate revenue but to encourage timely burials. He also corrected misinformation, stating that the tax is only N40, not N40,000, and is paid indirectly by mortuary owners, not the deceased’s family.
This tax is part of the Enugu State Mortuary Tax Law, which has been in place for years. Despite concerns, Nnamani assured that no one has been denied burial due to this tax.
“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 that corpse stays in the mortuary for 100 It means that that corpse stays in the mortuary for 100 days the mortuary is expected to pay to state a sum of N4000.
“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.”