Ekiti commences enumeration of landed properties, buildings for property tax

Ekiti state government said it had introduced payment of property tax by landlords and landowners across the 16 council areas of the state.

The Chairman, Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service, Mr Olumuyiwa Ogunmilade, who made this known to newsmen in Ekiti said the government had initiated the enumeration of all buildings and landed properties across over 130 towns for hitch-free implementation of the tax policy.

Ogunmilade said in a statement that this was part of the efforts to boost the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) in view of the low revenues from the federal allocation to the state.

The implementation of the Ekiti State Property Tax Law, according to him is backed by the State Land Use Charge Law No. 3 of 2013.

“The Land Use Charge 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 in our state and this will provide proper guide for the government because you have to pay based on the property owned,” Ogunmilade said.

Ogunmilade urged the people to cooperate with the property identification officers in discharging their duties by providing access and accurate information about their properties.

Ogunmilade pointed out that the law would boost the state revenue profile as well as fast-track the capturing of more citizens in the tax net to enable them to discharge their statutory obligations to the government for effective service delivery.

He declared that boosting the IGR would provide a solid foundation for proper planning and well-structured development across the state.