No, Nigeria's Oyo state government has not introduced tax on burials, weddings and other events
IN SHORT: Several posts on Facebook claim that the Oyo state government has introduced a tax on a variety of events, including burials, weddings and naming ceremonies. However, this is false.
Oyo state residents will soon be required to pay an entertainment tax on specific events. That's according to a "tax clearance" document, purportedly issued by the Oyo state government, which has been widely circulated on Facebook in Nigeria.
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Oyo state is located in the southwest of the country, bordering Kwara state to the north and Ogun state to the south.
"Oyo State new entertainment tax clearance is aimed at strengthening event compliance and boosting revenue," the caption reads.
According to the document, residents should expect to pay the following amounts:
- Burial - N35,000
- Wedding - N35,000
- Naming ceremony - N25,000
- Birthday - N25,000
- Chieftaincy ceremony - N35,000
- Corporate promotion - N35,000
- Graduation ceremony - N25,000
- Club organised events - N25,000
- Wake keep - N25,000
- Engagement - N25,000
The document provides two phone numbers for inquiries.
This post was also shared here, here, here and here. But are residents of Oyo state really about to be taxed for holding parties?
Disregard false information, state government says
Africa Check searched the internet for official confirmation of the claim and found none.
According to the Guardian news site, the Oyo state administration has denied claims that it plans to tax state residents in this way.
The state commissioner for information and orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, dismissed the document as "fake and misleading".
He told the media that the notice didn't meet the standards required for legitimate government levies and said: "Any official table of this nature must contain a revenue code for payment and bear the signature of the Chairman of the Oyo State Internal Revenue Board. None of these conditions was fulfilled in the viral post."
He also said the document didn't include the address of the state's internal revenue service, a further sign that it was fraudulent.
The Oyo state government media team also confirmed to Africa Check that the claim was false.
The same claim was found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
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