Ruling on considering what is paid to the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority as zakah

Q: I am the owner of an establishment, and I pay an amount equal to 2.5% of my capital to the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, on the grounds that this amount is considered the zakah of trade. If I stop paying it, many of my interests will be halted, such as hiring workers and requesting any modifications to my documents. Therefore, I am committed to paying this amount. However, I have read in some books that this amount is not zakah, and that I am obligated to pay zakah in addition to what I pay to the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority. I ask for your guidance, as this is the situation of all companies and establishments in the Kingdom. May Allah guide you to what is good.

A: As long as it was requested from you in the name of zakah and you paid it with the intention of zakah, then it is zakah. This is because the one in authority has the right to demand zakah from the wealthy to be distributed in its prescribed channels. You are not obligated to pay additional zakah on the wealth for which you have already paid zakah to the state. However, if you have other wealth or profits for which you have not paid zakah to the state, you must pay it to those who are entitled to it, such as the poor and others among the recipients of zakah. And success is from Allah.