Question
Abdullah Rahim wrote:
Please note that Zakah is the tax that you pay to the state and religiously it is the only tax that you are supposed to pay. Therefore if you are already paying any tax to the state you may deduct that amount from the Zakah that you have calculated.
Does the above apply to an Islamic country, only?
In my case, the taxes I pay would be used to benefit everyone, including non Muslims. Is zakaah not meant to benefit Muslims only.
Answer
The verse of the Qur’an that describes where Zakah needs to go does not specify (not even indirectly) that being a Muslim is the condition.
Accordingly, based on my understanding there is no difference between a Muslim or non-Muslim country when it comes to Zakah vis a vis tax.