state, church and tax in (West) Germany

[© tweed]

in his 1986 article Religion and State in Germany: West and East, theologian Jurgen Moltmann cited a few statistics that were absolutely startling to me:

The German system of religion is,  even today, a  system of  involuntary church affiliation. One is Catholic or Protestant by virtue of birth and becomes a Christian through infant baptism. Consequently, approximately 90 percent of the people in West Germany belong to a church and pay 10 percent of their income tax as church tax, but only 10 percent to 15 percent attend church regularly and remain active Christians.

so you had 90% of the adult population forking over ten percent of their income to churches that they don't even belong to beyond a personal-identity level?  I assume they get some sort of tax write-off, but, still, this startled me.

does this still go on in some form or fashion, and on a large scale in reunified Germany?

[palandio]

in his 1986 article Religion and State in Germany: West and East, theologian Jurgen Moltmann cited a few statistics that were absolutely startling to me:

The German system of religion is,  even today, a  system of  involuntary church affiliation. One is Catholic or Protestant by virtue of birth and becomes a Christian through infant baptism.

Yes, but you may declare that you leave the church at age 14 or later (many people do when they start working the first time).

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Many have left the churches since then. Nowadays I would estimate church affilation to be at 75 percent or less even in West Germany. The East is more likely at 25 percent or so. I would have to look up the exact numbers.

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It's not 10% of your income, but 9% of your income tax (8% in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg). For example if your effective income tax rate is 20%, then the church tax is 1.8% of your gross income.

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It's exactly the same as 30 years ago.

[© tweed]

^^thanks

[Famous Mortimer]

Is this an additional tax people volunteer to pay or is it that they get the option to give some of their taxes that would otherwise go to the government to a church of their choice?

[Tender Branson]

I'm one of those people who quit the Catholic Church, right after I finished high school and had to pay church tax.

I don't want to be a member of that shady "Verein" (club) ...

[Cranberry]

Is this an additional tax people volunteer to pay or is it that they get the option to give some of their taxes that would otherwise go to the government to a church of their choice?

The former.

[Mr. Morden]

Many have left the churches since then. Nowadays I would estimate church affilation to be at 75 percent or less even in West Germany. The East is more likely at 25 percent or so. I would have to look up the exact numbers.

So West Germany is social conservative and East Germany is economic conservative?  [/joke]

[Tender Branson]

Has this created benefits for society?

Church tax mostly covers the following stuff:

* salary of priests
* renovation of churches
* organizing church
* funding Caritas projects, which helps the poor

Which means to some extent, yes.

But many people are so pissed-off by the Catholiban Church and their abuse scandals that they rather quit it alltogether and simply choose to donate to a charity instead.

[Ban my account ffs!]

The Germans freely admit the truth...that the church and government are two sides of the same coin.  And in an age of mass non church attendance, the facade must be kept up.

If you will be charitable, give to the one who asks...not the one the church/government deems to be worthy.