Sri Mulyani Reveals Taxes And Zakat Have The Same Goal

Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati explained that in the perspective of Islamic law, taxes have the same meaning as zakat and waqf, which are both means to channel them to those in need.

According to him, in every asset owned, there are rights of others that must be channeled and these rights can be given through zakat, waqf, or taxes, all of which aim to create social justice.

"In every fortune and wealth you get there are other people's rights. The way other people's rights are given is through zakat, waqf, some through taxes, and taxes return to those in need," said Sri Mulyani at the 2025 Sharia National Economic and Financial Facilities event, Wednesday, August 13.

He added that taxes raised by the state were channeled to various social programs, such as direct cash assistance, provision of health services, and education subsidies, especially for low-income people.

"10 million families are unable to be given the Family Hope Program and even given additional basic necessities for 18 million families. MSMEs that we have not been able to provide access to capital. With us knowing that the ability to pay is limited, subsidies are given to the cost burden, it can be structured sharialy," he said.

Sri Mulyani said that in the health sector, the underprivileged people were able to get services ranging from free inspections to health infrastructure development such as health centers, posyandu, BKKBN, to regional hospitals.

Meanwhile, in terms of education, he conveyed that in the government President Prabowo Subianto had established People's Schools for children from underprivileged families. In addition to free education, they also receive dormitory and food facilities during their study period.

"From the start of the parents of scavengers, daily workers who do not have income, their children then get school, are harmonized, and receive quality education and religious guidance. Those are all the rights of the sustenance you have for other people," he said.

Furthermore, he explained that subsidies were also given to farmers in the form of fertilizers and agricultural tools (alsintan), as well as support for the energy sector.

"That's what we convey as an instrument of the State Budget to realize justice in substance, namely the sharia economy," he said.