Germans calls for review of church tax as attendance wanes

Admin l Sunday, July 17, 2023

 

BERLIN – Around three-quarters of people in Germany think a church tax is no longer in keeping with the times, reflecting the major declines in church memberships.

 

 With the tax, a percentage of an individual’s pays is collected by a state-recognized religious community, although the amount varies by location and salary. Opt-outs and exemptions are possible.

 According to the German Bishops’ Conference, the Catholic Church collected more than €6.8 billion ($7.6 billion) in church taxes last year.

 In 2022 alone, more than half a million people left the Catholic Church and around 380,000 the Protestant Church.

 The exodus is mirrored in the sentiments revealed by the YouGov survey. About 74% of respondents said they considered the church tax to be no longer relevant, while only 13% thought it was.

According to a forecast published in 2019 by Germany’s two main Christian churches, church tax revenues could remain at about the same level of €13 billion annually until 2060 due to the rising wages of taxpayers – but with significantly rising expenditures, which could reach almost €25 billion annually in about 40 years.

According to the forecast, purchasing power will then be 51% below that of 2017. For this reason, the churches have been implementing austerity measures for some time.

Of the people who described themselves as Christians in the YouGov survey, 43% said the tax could be factor in them leaving the church.

 Almost half (49%) named sexual abuse scandals as a possible reason for making an exit.

 Twenty-five per cent cited their dwindling faith and 20% slow-moving reforms as other possible reasons. Only 18% answered that there were no reasons for them to leave their church.

YouGov interviewed 2,006 people aged 18 and over between July 4 and 6 July. The results were weighted and are representative of the population aged 18 and over in Germany.