Hacker News Reader

Comment by ekianjo | Hacker News Reader

By the way, in Germany, they don't track your race, but they ask you for your religion when you move there. And it's actually a trap ! If you answer that you have any, suddenly you'll see a religion tax (deducted from your salary every month) going to your religion of choice. In Germany is literally "pays" to be agnostic.

View on HN

Yep, Kirchensteuer ... usually between 8% and 9% if you're member of a confession that collects tax. Many people leave the church because of that, but then try and get your son or daughter into one of the many christian nurseries or schools later, and you have a bit of a problem ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_tax#Germany

Country hack - start a new religion called "Agnosticism" and get massive income from forced government personal levies?!?

Lol. Why on earth do they do this?

Certain churches are 'Körperschaften des öffentlichen Rechts' as such they fall under state church law and get priviledges that historically were granted to the catholic and protestant church after they had lost their territorial holdings and financial independence in the 'Reichsdeputationshauptschluss' 1803.

Are you kidding me? This is a great idea and incredibly fair.

Why should non-believers fund churches with their tax money?

Believers should be responsible for funding their churches/temples/holy places without relying on those who don't care.

I'm curious where you're from. In the US, the government being separate from religion is a pretty big deal so having taxes going to churches at all would seem strange.

The system in the US, for instance, isn't that non-believers fund churches with their tax money, it's that no one funds churches with tax money at all, members of the church donate directly to the church.

(Before someone comments, yes churches are often tax-exempt like other charities and non-profits, but that is different from actually receiving money from the government)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com