Is it sufficient to pay zakah to the tax collectors and agents appointed by the state to collect it?

Question:
The first question in this episode is from a woman in Indonesia. She says: Most of the people here work in farms, and they produce large quantities. Then officials come and take the zakah. Is this zakah that we paid to them sufficient? Or must we pay the zakah to the poor and needy who are near us?

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Zakah is the giving out of wealth. Giving out zakah is a pillar of Islam, and it is the companion of prayer in the wealth in which Allah has made it obligatory, including crops and fruits. If the one in authority appoints zakah collectors who go among the people and take the zakah of their wealth, and they are obligated to do so in order for the one in authority to distribute it to its recipients, then paying it to them is sufficient and acceptable, and praise be to Allah. This is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He used to send workers to collect the zakah and distribute it to those entitled to it. If the one in authority does not send zakah collectors, then the Muslim gives it out and distributes it to the eligible recipients among those around him in his country and his needy relatives. Yes.