Maldives Zakat House expects Zakat al-Mal collections to increase this year compared with the record MVR 107 million collected last year.

Speaking on a programme on Atate media, Zakat House Director General Sheikh Imthithaau Abbas said collections so far this year had increased. He said the current trend indicated that the total collected by the end of the year could exceed last year's amount.

Nearly MVR 80 million had been collected by the end of last month, representing a 100 per cent increase compared with June last year. Sheikh Imthithaau attributed the rise to greater public awareness and increased confidence in the zakat system following the introduction of the Zakat Act and the strengthening of Zakat House operations.

The Maldives Inland Revenue Authority's (MIRA) financial report for June shows that MVR 21.2 million was collected as Zakat al-Mal during the month, compared with MVR 10.6 million in June last year.

Total collections so far this year stood at MVR 79.6 million, up 29 per cent from MVR 61.5 million during the same period last year.