Church freedom and ligation to church taxes

Abstract

This article deals with questions concerning the acceptance of the church tax. It will examine the tensions between the church’s legislation competence and the dependence on national tax legislation in levying church taxes. National tax legislation contains finance and social policy considerations, evaluated from a purely governmental perspective. Such considerations can be in contradiction or at least in tension with the church tax’s purpose of funding ecclesiastical duties. This tension will be explored, exemplified by the concept of civil marriage, with its corresponding effects on the church tax, as well as the church’s binding to the constitution in church tax legislation. This text will provide recommended courses of action to the latter.