Majority of Germans find church tax 'outdated': Survey

BERLIN (AA) – Nearly three-quarters of the population in Germany believe that church tax is no longer appropriate for the modern age.

According to a survey conducted by the public opinion research institute YouGov on behalf of the German News Agency, 74% of the participants expressed the view that the collection of church tax is no longer suitable for the modern age.

Only 13% of the respondents stated that this tax is appropriate. A 13% segment did not comment on the matter.

According to the German Bishops' Conference (DBK), despite a decreasing number of members, the Catholic Church collected over €6.8 billion ($7.6 billion) in church tax last year.

The Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) collected €6.2 billion during the same year.

According to a prediction published by the two major churches in 2019, church tax revenues should reach €25 billion ($28 billion) by 2060 due to the increasing salaries of taxpayers. However, due to the loss of members, it will only reach €13 billion ($14.6 billion).

In the YouGov survey, 43% of individuals who identified themselves as Christians considered church tax as a reason to leave, while 49% cited sexual abuse scandals as a reason.

In this context, both major churches are struggling with significant membership losses.

Last year, 523,000 people left the Catholic Church, and approximately 380,000 people terminated their membership in the Protestant Church.

The survey was conducted with 2,000 individuals from July 4 to July 6.