ABHA — The Department of Zakat has announced revenues of more than SR18.2 billion from the start of the current lunar year (Nov. 15) to mid-Ramadan (July 23), its director told Al-Sharq newspaper in a statement on Monday. Ibrahim Al-Mofleh said out of this amount, about SR11 billion came from Saudi and the GCC businessmen working in the Kingdom. He said about SR7.2 billion of the Zakat money were collected from the Saudi individuals, foreigners doing authorized business in the Kingdom, the shares of non-Saudi partners in national companies and non-resident firms that do trade activities in the Kingdom through special establishments. Al-Mofleh said the department has maintained a good relationship with a number of government departments including the Labor Ministry, enabling it to ensure people who are eligible to pay Zakat present attested documents about their incomes. He said the affidavits given by the department to individuals and firms that paid their Zakat enabled them to rectify their status during the grace period for illegal workers to correct their statuses. "Many people who did not come to the department before did that during the grace period," he said. Al-Mofleh hoped that this cooperation would further be cemented in light of the royal decree urging all ministries and government departments to fully cooperate with the Department of Zakat to enable it carry out its duties properly.
