Enugu Residents Protest Alleged Excessive Rent Tax Assessments Amid State’s N870bn Revenue Drive

Residents of Enugu State have raised strong objections over what they described as arbitrary and excessive tax assessments imposed on landlords by the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS), alleging that the policy could worsen the housing crisis and trigger fresh rent hikes across the state.

The protests followed the circulation of demand notices issued to landlords in different parts of Enugu metropolis, particularly in Emene, Enugu East Local Government Area, where residents accused revenue officials of inflating rental income figures far above the actual rents being paid by tenants.

One of the demand notices reportedly issued on May 6, 2026, to a landlord at No. 15 Okolo Lane, Emene, assessed the property based on an alleged annual rental income of N2.4 million for six flats. The document demanded a total payment of N498,400 as landlord income tax liability, with a directive that payment be made within 30 days.

However, tenants residing in the compound disputed the figures, insisting that the landlord does not generate anything close to the amount stated in the assessment.

An aggrieved resident, Onyekachi Ogbonna, alleged that the state government was relying on fictitious rental estimates capable of worsening the already difficult economic situation faced by residents.

According to him, although the compound contains six flats, the landlord personally occupies one apartment and rents out only five flats to tenants.

He explained that tenants previously paid N180,000 annually per flat before rents were recently increased to N250,000 this year due to prevailing economic realities.

Ogbonna alleged that the revenue authorities arbitrarily estimated the rental value at N400,000 per flat in order to justify a higher tax assessment.

According to his complaint directed to the chairman of the revenue board, the assessment failed to reflect the actual rental income earned by the landlord and instead imposed unrealistic figures that could compel landlords to increase rents further in order to offset the tax burden.

He described the development as “wickedness at the highest level,” arguing that taxation should be based strictly on actual rents collected from tenants rather than estimated values.

The resident further criticised the timing of the assessments, noting that many citizens are already battling economic hardship, inflation, and wage challenges.

He argued that the policy could place additional pressure on struggling tenants and low-income earners across the state.

SaharaReporters gathered that similar concerns have emerged from several parts of Enugu metropolis, with residents alleging that officials of the revenue service now rely heavily on projected or estimated rental values rather than actual rents collected by landlords.

Critics linked the development to the aggressive internally generated revenue drive of the state government as it seeks to meet its projected N870 billion revenue target for 2026.

Efforts by SaharaReporters to obtain clarification from the Executive Chairman of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service, Ekene Nnamani, were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages seeking official reaction were reportedly not answered.