Towards A Unified Zakat System

UAE are not alike, as the UAE has significantly exceeded its1993 figure. Kuwait is the only member of the GCC not tohave equalled or exceeded its 1993 per capita income. SaudiArabia also presents an anomaly in this group of states inthat it alone registered a drop in per capita income in1997, over its 1996 figure. However, there was stillsufficient growth up to 1997 to exceed the 1993 figure.Qatar has registered a steady and, largely, consistentincrease in per capita income from 1993 (US$12,780) to 1997,when it reached US$14,903, despite it also experiencing adrop in per capita income in 1994.There is a reduction deficit in some countries and anincrease in deficit in others. This is due to an increase innon-oil revenue and reduction of expenditure. The UAE budgetindicates a reduced deficit in 1997 by 3 percent, comparedwith 13.4 percent in 1995. Bahrain announced a deficit of 4percent in 1997 compared with 2.4 percent in 1996 and 3.1percent in 1995. In Saudi the deficit reduced from 10.6percent in 1993 to 3.3 percent in 1996 and 4.5 percent in1997. In Oman and Qatar the deficit reduced from 8.7percent and 8.9 percent in 1995 to 4 percent and 3.4 percentin 1997 respectively. Debt problem is one of the mainfactors influencing confidence in the national economy in40