Enugu State Government Clarifies Mortuary Tax: Not a Revenue-Generating Initiative

The Enugu State Government has clarified that the recently highlighted tax on corpses kept in mortuaries is not intended as a revenue-generating initiative. This statement came from Mr. Emmanuel Nnamani, the Executive Chairman of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS), in response to a circulating directive addressed to mortuary attendants regarding the Mortuary Tax.

According to the circular, the tax is based on section 34 of the Birth, Deaths, and Burials Law Cap 15 of the Revised Laws of Enugu State, 2004, which authorizes the implementation of a daily fee. The tax requires a payment of N40 for each day a corpse remains unburied beyond the first 24 hours. Families are expected to settle this fee before collecting the body for burial, with payments directed to the ESIRS account through any commercial bank.

Addressing public concerns, Nnamani clarified that the tax is not a new measure but is, in fact, an established regulation under the state's Mortuary Tax Law. He emphasized that the daily fee is N40, not N40,000, and is indirectly paid by the mortuary owners rather than the families of the deceased.

"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," Nnamani stated.

He further explained that if a corpse remains in a mortuary for 100 days, the total tax payable would amount to N4,000. Nnamani stressed that the purpose of the tax is not to increase state revenue but rather to discourage the routine storage of bodies in mortuaries.