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  • Back in the day Christians took care for the sick and the homeless, they built orphanages and hospitals for the mentally ill. The amount of Christians didn't decrease but the way these vulnerable people were cared for changed greatly. The more we have a society were we pay the government to solve these issues, the less we need charity.

    I don't know if Zakat-evasion is a problem in islamic countries, but I guess if we change the rules to get the billionaires to pay the ones evading taxes now will just change their tactics and continue to give a shit about the rest of society.

    • I mean, they did but abuse was also rampant in those orphanages and mental hospitals.

  • Zekat is often seen as giving money to others, but it's just any act of love towards another person.

    It's become muddled with money too much in these modern times.

    That being said, yes please, tax the rich.

  • The individual must realize that he is no more than the steward of this property, which is fundamentally the possession of society; this must make him accept the restrictions that the system lays upon his liberty, and the bounds that limit his rights of disposal. On the other side, society must realize its fundamental right to such property and must thus become bolder in prescribing the regulations and in laying down the laws which concern it. Thus only may we arrive at principles that will ensure complete social justice in the profitable use of property, which cannot be an end in itself nor a subject of actual ownership. The clearest instance of this is the matter of the tenure of land; thought cannot conceive that any man should be the owner of the land itself; all that he can possess is its irrigation and its crops, which means that the matter is one of the profitable use of a possession rather than one of actual ownership.

    Sayyid Qutb spends much of this chapter in Social Justice in Islam insisting that it’s not full on socialism, but it’s definitely not free market capitalism.

    In part, he has to write a lot about how not socialist he is because of the popularity of Islamic socialist movements. They were huge players in Egypt and Iran.

    One can debate how those inspired by Qutb have kept to his ideas, but the society he describes is very much focused on ensuring everyone has enough to eat. (It’s also a society where I end up stoned to death in a public square, so you win some you lose some.)

    Islam at least also forbids interest. There’s a complicated banking system, and I’m pretty sure there still are ways to fuck people over, but getting broke people trapped on the payday loan cycle at least isn’t one.

  • In 2023, Elon Musk paid $11 billion in income taxes, which was one of the largest individual tax bills in history.

    Which is more than 2,5% of his total wealth.

    In 2021, Elon Musk paid a significant amount in taxes, with estimates ranging from $8.3 billion to $12 billion, making it one of the largest individual tax payments in U.S. history. This substantial tax bill was primarily due to Musk exercising stock options that were set to expire, which triggered a large taxable income event.

    Blablabla. Basically, believe it or not. 2,5% isn't that big of a deal

    • I also read there was a year he paid $0, but even if he payed on average 2.5% yoy, that might relatively be a lot less than what someone working minimum pays on wealth (or in their case just income) tax.

      • Am just saying the islamic stuff is peanuts. 2,5% isn't much. That's already more than happening.

        Elon musk is paying that much on his yearly income. I'm just comparing it to his total wealth.

        A lot of his wealth are unrealised capital gains. His total wealth crippled this year with his shenanigans.

        If this happened in USA. Then they'd relocate their wealth to other places while only keeping the bare minimum in order to generate an income there.

        USA's average wealth is insanely high because it's a government that protects their wealth. Once it stops doing that, they will re-locate.

        Your 1% holding the most of your country's wealth isn't actually holding your country's wealth. But that of the whole world. Your country is just a safe place to keep it.

      • In the US, people making minimum wage pay $0 in income tax in almost all states.

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