I don't understand this sentence. Do you mean that if the Church doesn't get the tax, levied, I believe, by the state, then it needs to provide the equivalent of our 1040? Provide to who? The state already has it, that's where I'm confused.
My Protestant Church survives on tithe. It's also NOT in a beautiful 500 year old stone cathedral that must need massive upkeep.
If they were getting my tax money, I'd sure like to see where they're spending that money.
As I said before, it's nice to have a beautiful Church costing millions, but then they also ask for tithe to the poor? Put the Church in a warehouse and donate the tithe the Church didn't need.
As did my old Catholic Church in Delaware and my Catholic Churches here in Poland
We're talking about Germany only -- where all Churches -- Catholic or Protestant get church tax collected by the state
well, quite frankly, most of the churches in the US are not 500 years old. The German ones are
however, the same could be said about churches in the rest of Europe and they either get state aid or fend for themselves.
i think it's better for them to fend for themselves rather than have the govt get them
And, you know, the upkeep isn't that much if one is sensible about it -- the problem is getting govt involved in collecting church tax for catholic and protestant churches