#291Warum muss man in Deutschland bei der Steuererklärung aufschreiben, ob man zu einer Kirche gehört oder nicht? Weil …
Why do you have to write down whether you belong to a church or not when filing your tax return in Germany? Because …
Quick Controls
The correct answer is:
there is a church tax linked to income and wage tax.
es eine Kirchensteuer gibt, die an die Einkommen- und Lohnsteuer geknüpft ist.
Independent study resource, not a BAMF website. Translations are study aids; the exam is in German.
Quick explanation
In your tax return you must state whether you belong to a church because there is a church tax linked to income and wage tax.
Why is this correct?
Members of certain religious communities pay church tax, which the tax office collects together with wage or income tax.
Background
Church tax amounts to 8 percent of wage or income tax in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and 9 percent in the other states. It is levied by the Catholic and Protestant churches and some other religious communities; the state collects it on their behalf and receives a fee for doing so. The churches use it to fund, for example, parishes, nurseries and social institutions. Anyone who no longer wants to pay can leave the church at the registry office or local court.
Why are the other answers wrong?
The information is not for statistics but for calculating church tax. Anyone who does not belong to a church does not pay more tax but less – namely no church tax. And the tax office is responsible for tax returns, not the church.
Memory tip
Church member = church tax (8–9% of wage tax).
Legal basis: Art. 140 Basic Law (GG) ↗
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