Zakat Amnesty, Are This Needed Now?

JAKARTA - There is still burden between obligation to pay taxes and zakat for muslims to be one cause of reluctance people are able to carry out the obligations of zakat. As result, number of recipients of zakat more than the number of zakat givers.

Based on statistical data, from one percent of people who control 50 percent of national assets, most of that one percent is still reluctant to pay zakat.

"The highest (only) 10 percent of the one percentage group is willing to pay zakat," said Vice President, Jusuf Kalla (JK) while opening National Working Meeting (Rakornas) National Amil Zakat Agency (Baznas) in Jakarta on Wednesday (4/10).

Not only that, the era that continues to grow, said JK make innovation collection and distribution of zakat must always be improved in order to increase awareness of paying of zakat.

"Zakat should look for formulas and ways because people do not have enough time to line up," JK said.

The Vice President also encourages zakat agencies and institutions to increase the number of zakat donors.

"How to increase the amount of zakat payers, not just by reading the verse, do not force the chicken to lay eggs, but how to reproduce the chicken for the eggs also more and more," he said.

Vice President himself understand the burden of paying taxes and zakat for Muslims. Whereas the same tax and zakat function that is to overcome poverty.

"The zakat collection strategy should be the same as tax. Maybe it could be an amnesty of zakat or the abolition of tax debt through zakat," he concluded.