The Enugu state government has revealed that through the use of the Geographic Information System (GIS), 800,000 properties have been identified and properly mapped in the state for onward collection of Land Use Charge with effec from today, June 1st, 2024.
This is even as the State’s Board of Internal Revenue, says they’re targeting N20bn annually because the GIS system will make the collection of land use charge and other numerous services relating to land in the state seamless.
The Chairman, Enugu State Board of Internal Revenue, Mr Emmanuel Ekene Nnamani, who disclosed this during a press conference earlier in the week, said the GIS would bring unprecedented efficiency, transparency and accountability to the process.
Mr. Ekene said the development which was supported by Governor, Peter Mbah in his quest to improve service delivery, had led to the migration of the state to the Geographic Information System (GIS) in the management of her property tax, also called Land Use Charge.
According to him,“GIS will help us to generate demand notice automatically and identify each of the properties in the state that it’s Land Use Charge has been paid for. It will also help the residents to go into the portal to identify their own properties, make payments and check if their payment has been updated in the system.
“The introduction of this technology aligns with the governor’s plans on disruptive innovation in the state for the management of our land properties and also other auxiliay services that has to do with properties.”
He hinted that the GIS will also help in the near future to enable quick processing of C of Os without the applicants going to any office.
Nnamani said the scheme has already yielded positive results with over 800,000 properties identified and categorised into 56 zones in the metropolis, comprising of Enugu Urban, Agbani, Udi, 9th Mile and Nsukka, Obollo Afor and Oji River while they have 200 zones in the rural areas.
He also stated that the charges is as low as N3,800 in some areas and N266,000 only annually per plot for residential areas and can go as high as N375,000 for industrial and 532,000 for commercial depending on the value of land in that area.
The state revenue boss said the state government was ambitious towards generating N20bn through the GIS in maximizing revenue collection and ensuring fair and equitable taxation.
“It would improve transparency in the collection of land use charges, which is expected to boost public confidence in the state’s tax collection system and promote voluntary compliance,” noting that “GIS is a product of a larger ongoing digitization effort in Enugu State, as the government seeks to leverage technology to enhance service delivery and optimize revenue generation.”
“Beyond the land use charge system, the GIS will have numerous other applications, including improved urban planning and better disaster management. By mapping out all the properties in the state, the government can make informed decisions about land use, zoning, and infrastructure development, leading to a more sustainable and prosperous Enugu,” Nnamani added.
On the mode of payment, he said that “property owners can pay with their cards using their phone or pay in the bank, come to the office and pay (but not cash) and works are ongoing to make payment possible via the PoS and we’re also developing an app and talking with some payment platforms to male payments available through the banking apps
He urged property owners to cooperate with the government in the implementation of the GIS, saying it would benefit both individuals and the state as a whole.
