Yes, but you opting out does not remove the fact that from the normal tax pool money also goes directly to running the churches. In other words as long as you pay any taxes, you also pay to the church.
It is considered “compensations” for Napoleons disowning the churches.
(1) Rights of religious societies to public subsidies on the basis of a law, contract or special grant shall be redeemed by legislation of the Länder. The principles governing such redemption shall be established by the Reich.
Just so we’re clear: “redeemed” here means “gotten rid of”. It’s been on the books since 1919, so far the Reich, now the Bund, has failed to pass the required guideline laws for the states to do it. Back in the days redeemed would’ve meant “we’ll give you a lump sum one-off, in exchange, we’ll stop paying regularly”, now, after all those years, it arguably should be “you’ll get nothing from now on also you still owe us”.
There’s been movement, though. There’s been uppity municipalities having a look at those age-old contracts, who noticed that they said nothing about money that aspect was agreed upon, unofficially, sometime later so they went ahead and dumped what the local reverend was entitled to on their driveway: Something like three steres of wood, ten sacks of rye and five of wheat, a hundredweight of onions, a tub of salted butter, two kegs of beer, as well as some length of linen and some of melton.
Yes, but you opting out does not remove the fact that from the normal tax pool money also goes directly to running the churches. In other words as long as you pay any taxes, you also pay to the church.
It is considered “compensations” for Napoleons disowning the churches.
Quoth Article 138 WRV, part of the Basic Law of Germany:
Just so we’re clear: “redeemed” here means “gotten rid of”. It’s been on the books since 1919, so far the Reich, now the Bund, has failed to pass the required guideline laws for the states to do it. Back in the days redeemed would’ve meant “we’ll give you a lump sum one-off, in exchange, we’ll stop paying regularly”, now, after all those years, it arguably should be “you’ll get nothing from now on also you still owe us”.
There’s been movement, though. There’s been uppity municipalities having a look at those age-old contracts, who noticed that they said nothing about money that aspect was agreed upon, unofficially, sometime later so they went ahead and dumped what the local reverend was entitled to on their driveway: Something like three steres of wood, ten sacks of rye and five of wheat, a hundredweight of onions, a tub of salted butter, two kegs of beer, as well as some length of linen and some of melton.