KUALA LUMPUR, The Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council Zakat Collection Centre (PPZ-MAIWP) is RM312 million short of its RM1 billion zakat (tithe) collection target for this year, said its chief executive officer Abdul Hakim Amir Osman.

He said that as of last October, PPZ-MAIWP had collected RM688.7 million in zakat contributions and expressed hope that the agency would be able to reach its target by the end of this year.

“(That is why) we organise this Year End Zakat (YEZ) campaign every year with the goal of encouraging zakat payers to fulfil their obligations before or on Dec 31, particularly for those who want to get an income tax deduction or rebate.

“The number of asnaf (eligible tithe recipients) in the Federal Territories is increasing over time. MAIWP has recently raised its assistance to RM300, which costs approximately RM108 million annually,” he told reporters after the launch of the YEZ campaign at Taman Metropolitan Kepong today.

Abdul Hakim said this year’s YEZ campaign offers zakat payers a chance to win more than 1,000 exciting prizes, including umrah packages, Thermomix, and smartphones.

“Throughout next month, 10 PPZ-MAIWP counters will be open from 8 am to 4.45 pm every day, including public holidays, with operating hours extended until 9.00 pm on Fridays and the last week of December.

“We will also hold the Hari Bersama Pembayar event in honour of zakat payers,” he said.

Abdul Hakim added that there are various platforms provided to make it easier for zakat payers to fulfil their obligations, including through the zakat.com.my portal, the MyZakat application, internet banking, and official agents appointed by the PPZ-MAIWP.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency