Outrage Over Imposition Of Mortuary Levy By Enugu State Govt

By Akinwale Kasali

The Imposition of Mortuary Tax Levy by the Enugu State Government on the people has been met with outrage.

The State Government had imposed taxes on corpses kept in mortuaries. Each corpse attracts N40 per day.

The decision by the State Government has sparked debate about the morality and feasibility of taxing dead bodies in the State.

Many are calling on the State Government to reconsider the tax and prioritize the welfare of its citizens.

Condemning the decision of the Enugu State Government, Ben Nwoye, former State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, said it was insensitive and inhumane for the Government to come up with such outrageous Tax.

Nwoye questioned the logic behind taxing the dead when the living are still struggling to pay their taxes.

“Have we finished taxing the living before we go into the dead?”, he asked. “The living should pay their tax, those selling things, they’re making money, you must have your tax paper, traders pay their income tax”, he queried.

Speaking further, he said, “When you govern, you govern with a human face. And I think this one lacks sensibility. It is insensitive, even if it is one kobo for the tax.”

Nwoye emphasised that the tax is not just a financial burden but also an emotional one.

“As Igbo, there is a way we relate with our dead, and if I’m told that for me to keep my deceased person for one day I have to pay N40, it gets to me,” he said.

He also pointed out that the mortuary attendants already pay taxes to the State and Federal Government.

“The mortuary people are mortuary attendants. They also have to pay the State tax, they have to pay the Federal tax.

Now we are taxing the bereaved.”

Nwoye believes that the State Government should focus on taxing the living rather than the dead.

“We raise funds by directly taxing the bereaved for keeping the body of their deceased loved ones? Then you pay N40. I don’t think it’s right.”

He called on the State Government to review and reconsider the tax. “So, it’s something they have to go back and review and look at it,” he said.

Nwoye also questioned the calculation behind the tax.

“Someone must have made an attempt in doing calculation of how many bodies that are left, how many deaths we have per year,” he said. “Because you have to budget for this.”

He believes that the tax is a sign of insensitivity and lack of empathy.

“It has to be in paper, the estimate that maybe 200 people or 1000 people will die this month and will be kept in the morgue, you have to write,” Nwoye said.

Nwoye emphasised that the tax is not acceptable in Igbo culture.

“From our own concept, cultural concept, it is not acceptable,” he said. “Certain things don’t belong in this culture when you govern, you govern with a human face.”

He urged the state government to prioritise the welfare of its citizens over revenue generation.