Ekiti State Government has introduced mandatory payment of ‘Property Tax’ payable by landlords and landowners across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state.
The Chairman of the Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Mr Muyiwa Ogunmilade, made this known in a statement on Sunday.
Ogunmilade said that the new tax policy was part of efforts to shore up the state’s Internally General Revenues (IGR) for more infrastructural development.
He said that IRS has started aggressive enumeration of all buildings and landed property in over 130 towns in the state for hitch-free implementation of the tax policy.
According to him, the Ekiti state property tax law is backed by the State Land Use Charge (LUC) Law No 3 of 2013, which comprise payment of ground rent, tenement rates and neighbourhood improvement levy.
He said that the implementation of the tax had been neglected, but time had come for it to be put to full use in view of the low revenues from the federal allocation.
According to him, Gov. Kayode Fayemi is not happy to impose double taxation or obnoxious tax policy on residents.
He said that the new measure was just an implementation of an existing but abandoned law.
“The LUC is an annual tax, payable in respect of all real estate property situated in Ekiti State, including ordinary parcels of land and with improvement except those exempted under the law.
“Owners are expected to pay the LUC for their respective properties or alternatively the tenants may pay and get reimbursement from the owners of the properties.
“For accurate charges to be arrived at, property identification officers or assessors have begun the process of enumeration of all properties and this will provide proper guidance for the government because you have to pay based on the property owned.
“I, therefore, appeal to our people to cooperate with the property identification officers in the course of discharging their duties by providing access and accurate information about their property,’’ he said.
Ogunmilade said that the law would ensure that state revenue profile was boosted and fast track the capturing of more citizens in the tax net.
Source: thenigerialawyer
