KUANTAN: The number of individuals and agencies paying zakat (tithe) in Pahang increased from 91,057 last year to 93,274 this year.
Pahang Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MUIP) chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Hairi Hussain said the total amount of property tithe collected as of November, however, stood at RM150.8 million compared to RM152.2 million for the same period last year.
“The RM1.4 million shortfall is because several corporate bodies have yet to settle their zakat payment for this year,“ he said at the Corporate Business Zakat Presentation ceremony at a leading hotel here today.
The Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who is also the MUIP president, and the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah graced the ceremony.
Also present were MUIP deputy president Tengku Panglima Raja Brigadier General Tengku Amir Nasser Ibrahim Shah, Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and Pahang State Secretary Datuk Seri Zulkifli Yaacob.
Despite the decrease, Ahmad Hairi is confident of achieving the targeted zakat collection of RM230 million this year as there are still some corporate companies who have yet to pay their zakat.
He added that, based on records, income zakat is the highest category for property zakat payments with a payment value of RM88.7 million collected from 81,596 payers, followed by business zakat revenue of RM38.1 million from small and medium businesses up to corporate bodies.
He said that, as of November, the MUIP had also distributed zakat aid totalling RM214 million to 103,000 recipients, comprising hardcore poor and poor groups.
“The biggest amount of zakat aid distribution this year is to the poor (RM92 million) and hardcore poor (RM23 million),“ he said.
At the same ceremony, a total of 21 corporate bodies in the state paid their business zakat to MUIP, totalling RM31 million.
