Mbah Defends ₦36,000 Annual Business Levy, Says Enugu Has Lowest Rates in South-East

Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has defended his administration’s tax policy, saying businesses in the state pay a consolidated annual levy of ₦36,000 covering multiple charges, including business premises and waste management.

Mbah said the payment, equivalent to ₦100 daily, was introduced to simplify tax collection and reduce the burden of multiple levies on business owners.

The governor made the clarification in a post on his X account while responding to what he described as persistent allegations of excessive taxation in the state.

“What we have done as a government is consolidate multiple levies into a single annual payment of ₦36,000 annually, equivalent to ₦100 daily, covering business premises, ESWAMA and several other rates,” he said.

Mbah added that a tax review panel established by his administration and headed by the Secretary to the State Government compared Enugu’s rates with those of neighbouring states and found them to be the lowest in the South-East.

He attributed the state’s growth in internally generated revenue (IGR) to efforts to block revenue leakages and maximise returns from government assets, rather than imposing additional taxes on residents.

“Our growth in internally generated revenue has come from plugging leakages and putting government assets to work, not simply placing more burdens on our people,” he said.

The governor argued that effective governance should focus on the prudent management of available resources rather than increasing the financial pressure on citizens.

“Good governance is not about squeezing more money out of the people. It is about making better use of the resources we already have,” he added.

The statement comes amid public debate over taxation and the cost of doing business in the state.

Mbah’s administration has maintained that consolidating levies and improving revenue collection are central to its efforts to simplify payments and strengthen public finances.

However, the governor’s comparison of Enugu’s tax rates with those of other South-East states was based on the findings of the state’s tax review panel, as stated in his post.