The electricity company that owns large machines: Is zakah obligatory on it?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question : For example, an electricity company has large machines worth thousands or millions. Is there zakah on them or not?
Answer : There is no zakah on these machines, because the machines themselves are not subject to zakah, and their value is not subject to zakah, because they are not for general trade. Since the cause of trade is absent, there is no zakah on them. However, the money that is collected and utilized is subject to zakah if a lunar year passes over it. If it is mentioned that this company, whenever it earns a profit, spends it on the machines to expand its operations, then there is no zakah on that, as long as the matter remains within the machines.
Answer : There is no zakah on these machines, because the machines themselves are not subject to zakah, and their value is not subject to zakah, because they are not for general trade. Since the cause of trade is absent, there is no zakah on them. However, the money that is collected and utilized is subject to zakah if a lunar year passes over it. If it is mentioned that this company, whenever it earns a profit, spends it on the machines to expand its operations, then there is no zakah on that, as long as the matter remains within the machines.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 399- شركة الكهرباء التي تملك مكائن ضخمة: هل تجب فيها الزكاة؟ II ابن عثيمين — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.