German Christians said to number hundreds of thousands are formally renouncing their faith and leaving the Church to escape a change in the tax laws, the Ecumenical News website reports today (February 3, 2015).
Up to 400,000 Germans officially filed declarations to leave the Protestant and Catholic Church after a decision to extend the 8 or 9 percent charge to capital gains income.
Up to 200,000 Germans are believed to have filed official declarations last year renouncing their membership of the main Protestant Church -- the highest number in almost 20 years -- with a similar number believed to have left the Catholic Church.
Church members in Germany are required by law to pay a tax to fund church activities, which is collected by the government and is used to fund education and social services.
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