AUSTRALIAN NEWS 28th March 2007

AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

HARDLINE CLERICS URGE TAX CHEATING

Hardline Muslim clerics are encouraging their followers to cheat the tax system because they consider paying income tax contrary to Islamic law. Muslim leaders have warned that fundamentalist imams who put sharia law ahead of Australian law are also condoning welfare fraud and the cash economy as tax-evasion methods. The extremist clerics who were preaching messages against paying income taxes were also staunchly opposed to Western ideologies, including the Australian way of life.While sharia law does not require Muslims to pay taxes, it does require them to pay alms towards charitable causes.Muslim community leader Keysar Trad, who worked at the tax office for 14 years, said he believed some Islamic fringe groups would include “cheating on taxes” as part of their teachings. “We know that some fringe groups within the community have some aberrant teachings,” the president of the Islamic Friendship Association said. Mr Trad said he was often told by “conservative” clerics to quit his former job at the tax office because they considered it contrary to sharia law. The Federal Government has asked the tax commissioner to investigate the reports. Assistant Treasurer Peter Dutton said he was “disgusted” by the report and is encouraging people to contact the Australian Taxation Office if they suspect anyone of cheating on tax or encouraging others to do so.

Mr Dutton has also written to the tax commissioner asking him to investigate the report. “It is unacceptable to have a view that laws apply to one class or category of people and not the other,” Mr Dutton said. “We call on the moderate community to haul these people into line, to make sure the majority view prevails … that people should meet their taxation and legal obligations.”

Source: Compiled by APN from media reports