Church tax

A church tax is a tax imposed on members of some religious in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Sweden, some parts of Switzerland and several other countries.

Every recognized religious group in Austria can collect church tax at a rate of 1.1%, though currently only the Catholic Church makes use of that opportunity. Church tax is compulsory for Catholics in Austria. This tax was introduced by Adolf Hitler in 1939. After World War II, the tax was retained in order to keep the Church independent of political powers.

The Roman Catholic Church in Croatia receives significant state financial support and other benefits established in concordats between the Government and the Vatican. By the special agreement between Holy See and Republic of Croatia, Croatia is, through state budget, financing salaries and pensions of clergy (even the military chaplains), church sacral objects maintenance and restoration, building and running of church schools and universities.

Percentage-wise, about 0.46% of state budget ends up funding activities of the Roman Catholic Church in Croatia..

The members of national Church of Denmark pay a church tax, which varies between municipalities, but can be as large as 1.51%. The tax is generally in the vicinity of 1% of the taxable income. The tax doesn't cover the entire budget of the church. An additional 13% is paid by the government. This means even people who are not members of the church finance the church through taxes.

All members of either the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Finnish Orthodox Church (the two state churches of Finland) pay an income-based church tax of between 1% and 2%, depending on the municipality. On average the tax is about 1.4%.

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