Ministry Of Religion: Amil Zakat Institutions Must Be Licensed For Professional Zakat Management

Director of Zakat and Waqf Empowerment of the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) Tarmizi Tohor. (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Religion stated that in professional zakat management, a licensed Amil Zakat Institution (LAZ) is needed so that the collection, management, and distribution can be accounted for in a transparent manner.

"The main capital to achieve the word professional is that LAZ must be licensed," said Director of Zakat and Waqf Empowerment of the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) Tarmizi Tohor in an online discussion that was followed from Jakarta, reported by Antara, Tuesday, November 23.

Tarmizi said to take care of licensing, LAZ must meet the requirements as an Islamic community organization that manages the fields of education, da'wah, social affairs, and has a legal entity according to Law no. 23 of 2011 article 18.

LAZ who apply for a permit must also be non-profit, have a zakat utilization program for the welfare of the people, be willing to be audited for sharia and their finances on a regular basis.

"LAZ must also get a recommendation from Baznas, have a sharia supervisor, have technical, administrative, and financial capabilities to carry out activities," he said.

In the Decree of the Minister of Religion (KMA) No. 333 of 2015, LAZ licensing is divided into national, provincial, and district/city scale LAZs.

The main requirement for LAZ on a national scale is to get permission from the Minister of Religion after receiving a recommendation from BAZNAS and being able to collect Zakat, Infaq, and Alms (ZIS) funds of Rp50 billion per year.

"Meanwhile, LAZ on a provincial scale received a permit from the Director-General of Islamic Community Guidance and was able to collect ZIS funds of Rp20 billion per year," he said.

Meanwhile, LAZ licensing on a district/city scale obtains a permit from the Head of the Regional Office (Kakanwil) of the Ministry of Religion, and is able to collect ZIS funds of Rp3 billion per year.

"If the application for the formation of LAZ meets the requirements after administrative and field verification has been carried out, the Minister, Director-General, or Kakanwil will issue a permit to form LAZ with a validity period of 5 years," he said.