Zakaat

Giving zakaat to one's brother-in-law

Q: My brother-in-law is a poor person and he lives in a house owned by his wife (my sister). My sister has gold jewellery and she pays zakaat on it regularly.

1. Can I pay my zakaat to her husband who can do business or spend that money on his wife and children?

2. Can my sister give her zakaat to her husband but she has no source of income and she pays her zakaat from the pocket money that she receives from her parents?

Deducting long terms debts in one's zakaat calculation

Q: A person took a loan of R5 million from the bank which is payable over 10 years. R500 000 is payable every year of the principle debt as well as R50 000 interest.

1) When calculating zakaat, will one deduct the entire amount of R5 million as his debt or only the amount payable for the current year of R550 000 (R500 000 principle and the R50 000 interest)?

2) Does one include the interest owing as part of his debts for the zakaat calculation?

Zakaat on cash buffer in a property trust

Q: A trust was formed and a property was purchased for investment purposes. Shareholders bought into the investment. A portion of the net rental are distributed to the shareholders and a portion of this net rental is held back in the trust as a cash buffer for unforseen events (e.g. Unforeseen expense). What is the zakaat implications on the cash buffer held back in the property trust?