KOTA KINABALU: The zakat fitrah (personal tithe) in Sabah for this year has been set at RM7 per person, said Sabah Mufti Datuk Bungsu Aziz Jaafar.
He said the rate is equivalent to 2.7 kg rice, which is the staple food of the people of Sabah.
Last year, the rate was RM7.50 and RM6 per person depending on the affordability of the household head, he said in a statement on Sunday.
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Meanwhile, the Sabah Islamic Religious Council (MUIS), in a statement, said it expected to collect RM11 million in zakat fitrah this year.
MUIS has appointed 2,000 Amil (tithe collectors) and 39 Amil coordinators for the purpose this year, it said and advised Muslims in the state to pay their tithe only to authorised collectors who would be issued with the authorisation card.
It said MUIS is also allocating RM10.4 million this Ramadan to be distributed to the asnaf (eligible tithe recipient), the poor and Muslim converts, with RM1.4 million for the amil.
Last year, MUIS collected more than RM10.83 million in zakat fitrah and more than RM90.33 million in business tithe.
More than RM17.86 million in tithe collection was disbursed between January and March this year, with RM7.72 million for the asnaf it said. – Bernama