Regestering a car on fake papers to avoid taxes
Fatwa No: 87828

Question

Registering a car on fake papers to avoid taxes. Is it lawful to register a car on fake papers to avoid taxes?

Answer

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

 

In principle it is Haram for a country to impose taxes on people, because it is taking people's money without any just right (unjustly).

Imam Ahmad reported that Uqba Bin Amer narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "A person who imposes taxes will not enter Paradise; meaning title collector."  The taxes are any kind of duties that are taken without right.

However, there is one exception in which the country can impose taxes, which is if the country is obliged to do so, i.e. if the treasury is unable to meet the country's needs, like keeping peace and strengthening the defense means.  In this case, there is a condition that the people who are running the treasury organize themselves in a way that helps them avoid bankruptcy. 

On the above grounds, the ruling on avoiding and running away from the customs and taxes by falsifying, bribing or fraud, becomes clear.  In case the taxes are not permissible, and this is the principle, there is no harm to avoid them, but without telling a lie or forging documents except if there is no lesser way of doing it, like by indirect reference.

But in case these taxes are legitimate, then one should not avoid paying them even by indirect reference, let alone forging, bribing and the like.

 

Allah knows best.

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