GOVT PLAN TO CUT TITHE FROM SALARIES STIRS CONTROVERSIES

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 8 (Antara) - The government's plan to deduct 2.5 percent zakat (tithe) directly from the salaries of Muslim State Civil Apparatus (ASN) has triggered controversies.          Regulation on the plan is being discussed at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, but some quarters have suggested that the plan be postponed, as there are many questions that should be solved in the first place.          The government should build public or zakat payers' trust on institutions managing the tithe funds. It should also make it clear on how to calculate civil servants' income to decide on the portion which is subject to zakat. There are two aspects for the income to be subject to zakat, namely the nisab (minimum amount) and the haul (the length of one-year period) aspects.          After all, the portion of income that is subject to zakat is the income after deduction for (the zakat payers¿) basic needs, debts, and operational spending. This portion should meet the nisab and haul aspects before it could be categorized as subject to zakat.         "How could the government calculate the amount of income of ASN, after deduction for basic needs, debts, and work operation cost, and decide the portion that is subject to profession zakat," Saiful Jihad, academician of the University of Hasanuddin in Makassar, South Sulawesi, stated on Thursday.