Can taxes paid to the state be regarded as zakah?
Dear Brother / Sister,
Zakah is a deed of financial worshipping. An Islamic stated that is based on Islamic principles takes from the Muslims who have nisab amount of wealth a certain percentage of their wealth with the intention of zakah and gives it to the poor. If the state where a person lives is not an Islamic state, he gives a certain percentage of his wealth to the poor and other necessary people and institutions.
The taxes, fees, etc. that the state takes from people are not regarded as zakah.
Besides, the state takes it as tax not as zakah and does not spend the money it takes as tax on the eight group of people stated in the Quran.
To sum up, it is wrong to regard the tax given to the state as zakah. The money that the state takes from the rich based on its needs cannot be regarded as zakah either. For, it is not taken with the intention of zakah. (Zawajir, I/183; Ibn Abidin, II/39)
Questions on Islam
- Can long-term debts be subtracted while calculating zakah?
- Are alms given during a year regarded as zakah? Is it necessary to make niyyah for zakah
- Is it necessary to pay zakah for the wealth of small children and mentally ill people?
- To whom is zakah given? Can we deduct the things that we give as gifts from the amount of zakah?
- What is zakah (alms)? What is the importance of zakah for the person who gives and who receives it?
- How is zakah for a house, plot of land and construction calculated? I am a builder. How should I calculate my earnings and give zakah? I construct apartment buildings and sell flats.
- Is zakah paid for the money that has been inherited?
- Is it permissible to regard receivables as zakah?
- For whom is Zakah fard? Will you give information about the ways of giving zakah, conditions for being liable to pay zakah, the time to give zakah and to whom to give zakah?
- How is Zakah Paid?
