The deductions for gas have tripled in some cases, and looking at the electricity bill causes despair: the energy prices are making many people in Bavaria desperate for their livelihoods. The churches want to help those who are particularly in need.
Würzburg/Regensburg (dpa/lby) – The Catholic Church in Bavaria wants millions from church taxes to benefit the needy through the energy price flat rate. “We want to use these church tax funds to help people and especially families who are facing major problems in the coming months due to the energy crisis,” said Jürgen Vorndran, vicar general of the Diocese of Würzburg, explaining this step. The Diocese of Würzburg and the Archdiocese of Bamberg alone want to give around two million euros for people in need – throughout Bavaria, the dioceses are likely to raise another million euros.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria wants to invest the additional church tax revenue from the energy lump sum in climate projects. “Lower CO2 emissions, for example through energy-efficient renovation of buildings, benefit the climate and thus society as a whole,” said the regional church. “In order to be able to support people who are particularly affected by the energy crisis, parishes, church and diaconal institutions should identify local support projects that are particularly needed and ask for donations.”
With the energy price flat rate, almost everyone who works in Germany received a one-off payment of 300 euros to cushion the high costs of commuting to work. The money was paid out with the salary, so taxes were also paid on it. Pensioners should get 300 euros before Christmas. Since church tax is levied as a surcharge on top of income tax, this automatically means that church tax is also due on the flat-rate energy price for church members.
“The diocese of Eichstätt will donate the additional income that it will receive from the energy price flat rate to the Caritas association in the diocese,” said a spokeswoman. “However, since it is still unclear how much additional revenue the diocese will receive, the exact amount has not yet been determined at this point in time.”
In the diocese of Augsburg, the exact amount of the additional income has not yet been determined, “but it should probably be in the order of around three million euros,” said a spokesman. The decision on the use of funds will be made by the diocesan tax committee on November 30th.
The money from the Catholic dioceses should mostly go to the aid organization Caritas, whose general social counseling is open to all people.
“The demand in the Caritas advice centers is increasing massively,” said the diocesan Caritas director in the diocese of Regensburg, Michael Weißmann. According to the diocese, the money should primarily be used to support those who are particularly affected by the rising energy costs and the dramatically increased cost of living. Those in need of the diocese could submit corresponding applications to the various contact points.
In August, the German Bishops’ Conference and the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) agreed on a corresponding recommendation for dealing with the additional tax revenue and gave this to the dioceses and regional churches. The funds are intended to benefit people through local social projects or initiatives.
