Title: I am a salaried person and company deducts income tax from our salary and pays it to the goverment. We have to submit a income tax certificate, which company gives us at the end of every financial year, to the goverment. I worked for two companies during April,2005 to March,2006 and I forgot to submit income tax certificate for the first company, althogh my company had deducted income tax from my salary and paid to indian government. I recived a notice from income tax department stating that I had to produce certificate of the first company within 7 days.Although I was late to produce it, but income tax official was demanding money as bribe to accept it and do necessary correction. Initially he was demanding Rs 10,000/- but later on Rs 5,000 was settled. Please let me know whether I can pay this bribe from haram money e.g. bank interest or there is any other way to do it.

Question: I am a salaried person and company deducts income tax from our salary and pays it to the goverment. We have to submit a income tax certificate, which company gives us at the end of every financial year, to the goverment. I worked for two companies during April,2005 to March,2006 and I forgot to submit income tax certificate for the first company, althogh my company had deducted income tax from my salary and paid to indian government. I recived a notice from income tax department stating that I had to produce certificate of the first company within 7 days.Although I was late to produce it, but income tax official was demanding money as bribe to accept it and do necessary correction. Initially he was demanding Rs 10,000/- but later on Rs 5,000 was settled. Please let me know whether I can pay this bribe from haram money e.g. bank interest or there is any other way to do it.

Answer ID: 12766Posted on: Aug 30, 2020

Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim !

(Fatwa: 1030/1030=M/1430)

Bribe cannot be paid with interest money. The interest received from a bank should be distributed among the poor without an intention of reward:

لان سبیل الکسب الخبیث التصدق (الشامي)