This week IRD hosted the German delegation to the National Prayer Breakfast 2025, including members of the Bundestag (Germany’s chief legislative body) and leaders of Christian civil society, for a discussion on Religion and Politics in Germany. We were treated to a fascinating exchange that featured IRD Board Chair Paul Marshall.
Video of the event is below via IRD’s YouTube channel.
Comment by David on February 6, 2025 at 7:08 am
Germany has a system of financing religion that many in the US would find offensive.
Employers in Germany are responsible for deducting church tax from their employees’ wages as part of the payroll process. Here’s how it works:
1. Employee Registration: When employees start a new job, they must declare their religious affiliation. This information is recorded in the payroll system. Employers receive this information through the electronic payroll tax deduction certificate (elektronische Lohnsteuerabzugsmerkmale, ELStAM) provided by the tax authorities.
2. Tax Calculation: The church tax is calculated as a percentage of the income tax. For example, if an employee’s income tax is 1,000 euros and they reside in a state with an 8% church tax rate, their church tax would be 80 euros.
3. Payroll Deduction: The calculated church tax amount is deducted from the employee’s salary along with other taxes and social contributions.
4. Payment to Tax Authorities: The employer transfers the deducted church tax to the state tax authorities, who then distribute it to the respective religious communities.
Comment by Corvus Corax on February 6, 2025 at 10:36 am
I’m interested in the way the German system compares with what we have in the United States.
1. I pay taxes to the federal government.
2. The federal government uses my taxes to award generous grants to “faith based” NGOs
3. “faith based” NGOs carry out the federal government’s policy agenda beyond the reach of public scrutiny, elections, FOIA requests, or basic administrative oversight
4. The people who object to this system are characterized as “Christian Nationalists”
As you can see, our Constitution protects us from the burdensome influence of European state churches
Comment by John on February 6, 2025 at 4:04 pm
Corvus Corax,
The outsourcing of certain services by the government to non-profits is an old and well-established practice dating back to the our earliest days as a nation. While some of these are NGOs are religious in nature, others are not. They are accountable because the money is still approved by Congress and the recipients have to agree to certain conditions in terms of how it is spent. The government can also audit the NGO’s books at anytime to make sure their tax dollars are spent properly. If you don’t like how the money is being spent or where it’s going you can always call your congressperson and let them know. You can also vote for someone else if they don’t listen. It’s the same process by which the Defense Department uses private contractors to manufacture many of its weapons and technology. Funny how no one from Musk’s team has go after them yet. Perhaps because Musk’s company one of those contractors. The alternative to having non-profits do this work using government grants would be to hire more federal workers and bureaucrats to do it instead, which will probably be more expensive and less efficient. Probably not what Trump and Musk are going for. What they can’t do is decide unilaterially not to spend the money and disconnect the services because only Congress has that power. The Constitution is quite clear in that regard. Eventually, Trump and Musk are going to hit that wall whether they like it or not. Just for the record until recently I don’t believe any Republican had an issue with awarding government grants to religious non-profits. In fact, Bush famously expanded the number of “faith-based” groups receiving grants from the federal government during his presidency. The same people questioning the awarding of these grants to religious organizations are also the ones who want to redistribute tax dollars to send more children to parochial schools. Please make up your minds!
Comment by Tim Ware on February 6, 2025 at 9:49 pm
You can call your congressional representative or senator all you want to. A phone clerk will listen to what you have to say, hang up the phone, and forget about it. They don’t care what you think.
You can also go vote for someone else. Big deal. Your vote is a drop in the bucket. You’ve affected nothing.
The idea that an average citizen has any power to change anything by calling people in Congress or by voting is an illusion. But it serves the interests of those in power because calling Congress and voting is a relief valve that keeps people pacified and keeps them from engaging in the actions that would bring about real change.
Comment by John on February 7, 2025 at 2:04 pm
Tim Ware,
So what do you propose then? Give one man all the power he needs to make the changes unilaterially and hope in the end he’s the exception to all other men given such power in history? Change happens slowly in our constitutional republic. It can be frustrating, but it’s exactly what the Founders envisioned. Read the Federalist Papers if you don’t believe me. If you think a billionaire government contractor who is answerable to no one is somehow more trustworthy with the money of the people than elected representatives, you may be in for a rude awakening. “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”
Comment by Tim Ware on February 7, 2025 at 5:08 pm
John, you could have saved your diatribe. I don’t support anyone in either political party or their lackeys.