Is it permissible to work as a Tax Compliance and Transfer Pricing Accountant or in the Finance Department of an insurance company?

Q: Is it permissible to work as a Tax Compliance and Transfer Pricing Accountant or in the Finance Department of an insurance company?

 

الجواب حامدا ومصليا ومسلما ومنه الصدق والصواب

A: When one works for a company where a major portion of the business activities of the company do not conform to the dictates of Sharīʿah there are principally two issues that must be determined:

1.            Is the job itself permissible?  I.e., does the contracted work itself fall foul of the Sharīʿah or, if not, does it amount to assisting in sin?

2.            What is the source of funds from which the employee is remunerated?

As regards the first, the role as described in the question does not appear to involve any impermissible activity.

As regards the second, the majority of funds available to an insurance company are generated by the premiums paid by the premium holders.  As the construct of the contract is a commutative contract that also falls foul of the prohibitions of ribā, gharar and qimār the funds available to the insurance company are impermissible. Thus, although you may perform a permissible function within the insurance company, as the funds available to the insurance company are of an impermissible nature, you cannot accept remuneration from those funds.  In summary, you should avoid working for an insurance company irrespective of the nature of the role itself.

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