A Public Tribute Zakat in Muslim Countries as an Example of the Practical Problem of Accounting Standardization

Abstract

The article concerns a type of obligatory tax (Zakat) that is the basis of the Islamic economy and the incompatibility of its charging and discharging with international accounting standards. The difficulties faced by Islamic accounting in adjusting it to the Western (conventional) accounting standards are one of the main reasons why the Islamic cultural and economic circle is rather inclined to create its own standards in this regard. The article discusses two key issues for understanding the source of the problem that Zakat poses – the need to adhere to the accounting principles (primarily the precautionary principle) and the valuation issues. They result in a lower (from the point of view of Muslim stakeholders) quality (in terms of usefulness) of financial statements prepared in accordance with international accounting standards. JEL: M41, M49

Keywords

• accounting
• standardization
• Zakat
• Islam