The Enugu State Government has refuted claims of an upward review of the mortuary tax to N40,000 per day, as reported by some bloggers and unprofessional media outlets. The government clarified that the charge remains N40 per night for unclaimed dead bodies, as stipulated in Section 34 of the Births, Deaths, and Burials Law Cap 15, Revised Laws of Enugu State 2004.
The government explained that a memo, originally re-issued in 2023, had been doctored by unscrupulous individuals to show a false date of September 17, 2024. This was done to deceive the public. The purpose of the original memo was to protect bereaved families from being overcharged by hospitals and tax agents who have been inflating the cost beyond the legal N40, which was set in 2004 to prevent mortuary congestion.
In a statement issued by the Chairman of the Enugu State Board of Internal Revenue, Mr. Emmanuel Nnamani, on Sunday, the government emphasized the deceptive nature of the fake news. He stated, “The attention of the Enugu State Board of Internal Revenue has been drawn to various fake news and publications claiming that the Enugu State Government imposed a tax of N40,000 per day on the dead. This is a malicious and false attempt to tarnish the image of the government and the Governor.”
Nnamani reiterated that the N40 per day charge, established by the 2004 law, was designed to combat the practice of families leaving their deceased relatives in mortuaries for extended periods. He added that this issue has also been addressed by several other states in southern Nigeria through various policies aimed at curbing high burial costs and reducing mortuary congestion.
Nnamani also highlighted that mortuary operators and agents have been arbitrarily inflating these fees and urged the public to report any establishment charging above N40 per day. He concluded, “While the N40 charge may seem insignificant in today’s economy, the government has not seen it necessary to increase the fee. The focus remains on encouraging Ndi Enugu to bury their loved ones promptly and take time afterward to plan proper funeral ceremonies.”
The public has been advised to disregard the circulating fake news and to report any violations by mortuaries to law enforcement agencies or the Board of Internal Revenue.