Bandar Seri Begawan - The Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs said His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam‘s titah on the drop in zakat payments would raise awareness among Muslim subjects obliged to pay tithe, including property or "Harta" tithes.
It is a trend nowadays for businessmen, especially those dealing with restaurants and catering, to come forward and pay their business and property tithes.
Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Hj Awg Badaruddin said this on the sidelines of the Hari Raya gathering for VIPs and foreign diplomats Saturday.
The drop in tithe collection was highlighted by His Majesty in his titah on the eve of Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Pehin Dato Badaruddin added that the obligation of paying tithe is already known to Muslims in the country. The Islamic Religious Council is mandated to collect tithe. "At present, we are yet to enforce the law that requires every person to be contacted or required to pay tithe by law. To date, awareness in the aspect of religion and the obligation to pay tithe is good."
In his titah, His Majesty called for the improvement of how zakat is handled in the country and called for detailed studies by relevant people on zakat handling as marked inconsistencies were seen in the amounts collected.
His Majesty cited a recent statement from relevant authority about the collection of zakat. According to the statement, the collection from property zakat until Aug 31, 2007 has shown a marked decrease.
For example, in the year 2006, the zakat collection and distribution division collected $8.8 million compared to 2005 collection, which stood at $18.9 million.
His Majesty asked whether the drop was due to the economy or the change in attitude among people in fulfilling the tithe obligation. His Majesty asked if it is true that it‘s related to a change in attitude, then why was that so. His Majesty said there must be a reason behind the drop, internal or other factors.
Source: www.brunei-online.com (18 Oktober 2007)
