According to a representative survey, 67 percent of Germans are in favor of abolishing the church tax. A system in which every taxpayer gives part of their income for a self-chosen good cause is supported by 55 percent, according to the survey commissioned by "Bild". The polling institute Insa conducted a representative survey of 1,005 Germans on August 3rd.
In 2021, the Catholic Church took in around 6.7 billion euros in taxes, and the 20 Protestant regional churches in Germany accounted for around 6 billion euros. Church tax is paid by church members as a supplement to income tax, wage tax and capital gains tax. It is collected by the tax offices of the respective countries, who withhold an expense allowance for it.
The Catholic Bishop of Eichstätt, Gregor Hanke, called for a turnaround to new financing concepts. "The church is well advised to look for ways of alternative financing, since the German church tax system should not be a model for the future," he told the "Bild" newspaper. However, an “abrupt exit” from the previous system is not possible.
