By Ali Elias
The Enugu State Internal Revenue Service announced on Wednesday that it will enforce land use charges on 800,000 houses, including ancestral homes, starting June 1, 2024.
Chairman of the Board, Mr. Ekene Nnamani, revealed this during a press briefing, stating that the initiative aims to achieve a revenue target of N20 billion from land use charges in 2024. He emphasized that land and property taxes are crucial for the state’s internally generated revenue.
This plan, aligned with Governor Peter Mbah’s innovation agenda, aimed at boosting the state’s revenue.
He informed that the government has automated the Land Use Act charges to help meet this target. “Enugu State government has automated Land Use charges in the state. Through the Geographic Information System, we have been able to identify 800,000 properties in the state.
“Every property owner in both the metropolis and villages is required to pay Land Use Act charges to enable the government to carry out its developmental plans for the citizens.
“These fees are dependent on the value of the land and where it is located. It ranges from as low as N15,000 to N300,000”.
Nnamani further gave reasons why the owners of ancestral homes must also pay Land Use Act charges; adding that residents in rural areas benefit from the dividends of democracy, such as schools, healthcare services, and other social amenities.
“The charges are in different categories and are charged per plot of land. Those houses that occupy two plots of land will pay for two plots.
“So, in line with the innovation promise of Governor Peter Mbah, the service has been able to use the GIS to identify properties in the state.
“Land Use Law of 2016 says that every property owner in the state must pay charges and it is paid to the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service.”