SHAH ALAM: Selangor zakat collection this year increased by 24 per cent at RM178.3 million compared to RM143 million same time last year.
This is attributed to the increase in the number of payers at the rate of 9 per cent, from 172,183 to 187,002 people.
Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) chairman Datuk Adzib Mohd Isa announced the development during an Iftar organised by the state government.
From that amount, RM7.5 million will be distributed to 10,144 families identified to be 'asnaf fakir' (extremely poor) and another RM16.1 million will be handed to 22,699 'asnaf miskin' (poor) families in Selangor.
"Each family will receive zakat handout from RM550 to RM1,000 depending on the number of dependents. The funds will be distributed at 18 mosques throughout the state from June 19 to give time for them to prepare for the Raya celebration," he said.
Adzib added that the zakat fitrah rate remains RM7 like previous years. He said that Lembaga Zakat Selangor has appointed 2,477 amil fitrah (zakat collectors) for the collection this year.
In attendance was the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharifuddin Idris Shah who handed over zakat pendapatan (income tithe) from five companies this year worth more than RM24 million.
Accompanying him was the Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.