Do Muslims have to pay taxes?

Taxes as keeping your word

Most contemporary scholars describe citizenship and residence as a kind of covenant. You receive safety, rights, roads, schools and healthcare, and in return you agree to follow the law, including tax law. The Quran opens a whole chapter with this command:

The Prophet ﷺ listed betraying a covenant and lying among the signs of hypocrisy (Sahih al-Bukhari 34). See Do I have to follow the laws of my country as a Muslim?

Tax evasion vs. tax planning

There's a big difference between the two.

• Evasion (haram): hiding income, being paid cash to avoid tax, faking expenses or lying on a return. The Prophet ﷺ said, "he who acted dishonestly towards us is not of us" (Sahih Muslim 101).
• Planning (fine): claiming allowances, deductions and credits the law gives you, using tax-free savings accounts, or giving to registered charities with Gift Aid (UK) or as a deduction (US).
• Unsure? Ask an accountant. Using the rules as they're written is honest.

"But some of my taxes fund things I disagree with"

Many Muslims feel this, and so do many non-Muslims. Scholars generally say the responsibility for how a government spends lies with those who decide it, not with the taxpayer who pays as required. If you want change, use lawful means: vote, write to your representative, or support causes you believe in. Some classical scholars criticised unjust taxes in their own time, but contemporary scholars for Muslims in the West generally don't treat that as permission to evade taxes you've agreed to pay. See Can I vote in elections as a Muslim?

Taxes don't replace zakat

Zakat is an act of worship with its own rules, rate and recipients. Paying tax, even a lot of it, doesn't cancel it. Most scholars say you still owe zakat on your savings once they reach the nisab and a lunar year passes. See Can I count my taxes as zakat?