Hoax! NU and Muhammadiyah Issue Fatwa to Stop Paying Taxes

A Facebook post has circulated claiming that Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah have issued a fatwa urging all their members to stop paying taxes. The post falsely suggests that Indonesia’s two largest Islamic organisations have agreed to reject tax obligations. The narrative in the post reads: ‘Nu Muhammadiyah keluar kan fatwa sepakat warga NU dan Muhammadiyah STOP BAYAR PAJAK’ (NU and Muhammadiyah issue a fatwa agreeing that NU and Muhammadiyah members STOP PAYING TAXES). However, is it true that NU and Muhammadiyah issued a fatwa for the public not to pay taxes? Based on an investigation, no official information was found from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) or Muhammadiyah stating that the two organisations had issued a fatwa for the public to stop paying taxes. In the results of the Bahtsul Masail at the 2025 NU National Conference, published on NU’s official website, it is explained that the original law on financial obligations for Muslims is zakat. Nevertheless, the forum also discussed scholars’ views on taxes outside of zakat. Bahtsul Masail noted there are two opinions. The first opinion prohibits levies outside of zakat because they are considered unjustified. The second opinion permits taxes under certain conditions, namely if the state is in an emergency or has urgent needs, zakat funds and other sources of income are insufficient, and the collection and management of taxes are carried out fairly and proportionally. The NU National Conference chose the opinion that permits taxes with these conditions. The forum also affirmed that paying taxes that meet these requirements is a form of obedience to the government (ulil amri). Meanwhile, the government is obliged to manage tax funds transparently, fairly, free from corruption, and use them for the greatest benefit of society. Furthermore, no official statement or fatwa was found from Muhammadiyah urging citizens to stop paying taxes. Thus, the claim that NU and Muhammadiyah issued a fatwa for the public to stop paying taxes is false or a hoax.