German churches are in distress due to the decline in membership

Due to the decline in membership in the Catholic and Protestant churches, church tax revenue will continue to fall until 2027.

Berlin - This emerges from a report by the Institute of German Economics, about which Der Spiegel reports. For the year 2021, the church tax revenue was around 13 billion euros. Although a nominal increase of up to 14.4 billion euros is expected in 2027, inflation will mean that purchasing power will then be below the 2021 level.

At the same time, the churches are confronted with a progressive decline in membership. Before the corona pandemic, the loss of income due to members could be compensated for by increasing income for the remaining members. However, this is no longer to be expected for the future.

Church tax is between eight and nine percent of income tax. In order to counteract the drop in income, the churches would have to find a way to counteract the many exits. Otherwise, the only option would be to limit services or sell assets, since further exits are to be feared in the event of an increase in church tax.

Source: Der Newsticker

Photo: Felix Hoerhager/dpa via AP