Deducting Tax from Zakah
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Fatwa No. ( 16976 )
Q: The Egyptian government has imposed a new tax that Egyptians must pay on their annual income earned from the entity where they work outside Egypt. It is a percentage determined according to the income bracket in which their income falls. Anyone who does not pay the tax is prevented from traveling back to work outside Egypt. Since this tax has become a very heavy additional burden on the income of the Muslim Egyptian working abroad, I kindly request your ruling on the permissibility of a Muslim deducting the amount paid as an annual tax on his income from the zakah obligatory upon him?
A : It is not permissible to deduct the tax from the zakah; because zakah is an act of worship and a pillar of Islam, and it has specific destinations prescribed by the Shari'ah, which must be adhered to. The tax is a financial penalty that generally does not take into account the destinations of zakah.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: The Egyptian government has imposed a new tax that Egyptians must pay on their annual income earned from the entity where they work outside Egypt. It is a percentage determined according to the income bracket in which their income falls. Anyone who does not pay the tax is prevented from traveling back to work outside Egypt. Since this tax has become a very heavy additional burden on the income of the Muslim Egyptian working abroad, I kindly request your ruling on the permissibility of a Muslim deducting the amount paid as an annual tax on his income from the zakah obligatory upon him?
A : It is not permissible to deduct the tax from the zakah; because zakah is an act of worship and a pillar of Islam, and it has specific destinations prescribed by the Shari'ah, which must be adhered to. The tax is a financial penalty that generally does not take into account the destinations of zakah.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.