Baznas: Finance Minister Invites Us to Make Zakah Compulsory

INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta - National Bureau of Amil Zakat (Baznas) Chairman Bambang Sudibyo said Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati called on the government to make zakah payments an obligation as well as paying taxes.

Bambang at a press conference related to Baznas Awards at the office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs Jakarta, Friday (08/24/2017) responding to the discourse of the Minister of Finance who want zakat managed as tax management is considered very good.

"It means, Mrs. Minister consciously or unconsciously invites us to make obligatory zakat, managed by the state," said Bambang.

Sri Mulyani in his speech at the 2nd Annual Islamic Finance Conference (AIFC) in Yogyakarta, Wednesday (23/8), said that the collection of zakat that has great potential can be optimized if managed just as well as taxes.

 Bambang agrees with the minister's statement because based on Law No. 23 of 2011 on Zakat Management mentioned that zakat is managed by the state as tax management.

"But with the discourse of the Minister of Finance himself who wants the zakat to be managed like a tax, it is such a law that the zakat is managed by the state, as is the tax." The implication of the relationship between zakat and tax must be rearranged," said Bambang.

Bambang explained in the Quran mentioning the law of paying taxes is mandatory. But he regretted in the law is still optional or sunnah.

He cited Malaysia, which in its legislation obliges its citizens to pay zakat such as the obligation to pay taxes.

"As it is today the tax office is chasing those who do not pay taxes, if in our law amendments become mandatory, Baznas will be chasing the unpaid zakat," he said.

With zakat that is actually managed by the state, will be an instrument to supplement APBN and APBD in poverty alleviation.

"The minister's discourse is very good, and my surprise is that the Minister's understanding on fiqh of zakat is very good," said Bambang. (Ant)