• mcv@lemmy.zip
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    3 days ago

    How does that work? How can you be made to pay? That does not sound legal to me. Can’t you just leave and ignore it?

    • Dyskolos@lemmy.zip
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      3 days ago

      Through taxes. You pay (I forgot how many) percent of your salary/income. So, very legal. Church makes a buttload of moneyz and still asks for spare change in mass 😂

      • mcv@lemmy.zip
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        2 days ago

        I’m afraid I still don’t quite get it. Do you pay less taxes now? Do members of this church pay more taxes?

        It all sounds completely at odds with the concept of freedom of religion.

        • Dyskolos@lemmy.zip
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          2 days ago

          I pay waaaaaay less taxes now, it’s literally a church-tax added on top of the other taxes. Unless you leave (which requires jumping some hoops) you’d pay. And we’re free though. Just if your parents are dumb enough to join you (“because everyone else does that too!”) at birth then that’s it. It’s as stupid as it sounds, yes. Germany btw.

          a wiki excerpt:

          For example, a person earning €50,000 may pay income tax at 20% (€10,000); the church tax is an additional 8% (or 9%) of that sum (€800 or €900).[10] The paid church tax is deductible in year of paying and reduces the taxable income.

          8 fucking percent. And the unfair and mean part is: the less you earn the more it hurts. This is daylight-robbery.