IDLIB — The General Zakat Authority formed by the Salvation Government is imposing zakat (obligatory Islamic tax) on the products of olive growers. The authority released a circular to the growers at the beginning of the olive harvest and pressing season, telling them to pay the amounts they owe to the olive pressers in Idlib. The authority warned olive pressers not to allow crop owners to claim their oil production until zakat is paid. The zakat on oil and olive crops is estimated at 5% in the event that the land is irrigated and 10% if it is irrigated by rainfall. The authority emphasized in its circular the importance of not selling any quantity of oil or olives until after its owner paid zakat through authorized receipts.
Olive production season this year has been weak due to the scarcity of water needed to irrigate olive trees as well as the lack of rain last year. Syria faced a semi-dry year, negatively affecting crops. The rains came late, weakening olive production, as the latter also relies on rainfall when the harvest begins. In light of the high production costs in terms of fuel and transportation and the wages of mills, the suffering of olive growers worsened. Adding insult to injury, they say, is the tax imposed on olives by the Salvation Government.
Two years ago, when the Salvation Government imposed zakat on olives, the opposition Syrian Islamic Council issued a statement in which it stated that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) did not have “recognized legitimacy,” even if by virtue of the “rule by force.” The council stated, “They are not a recognized state in the areas that they control or other areas. They command neither obedience nor authority, and those who obey them only do so to shield themselves from their evil and out of fear of their tyranny.”
Regarding forcing people to pay zakat on olives, the council said it contradicts the opinion of the majority of Muslim jurists who impose zakat on everything that is eaten, stored, preserved and dried from grains and fruits such as wheat, barley and corn, and olives are not among these products.
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