Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland pay church tax in conjunction with state and municipal income tax. Your church tax goes to your home town parish, whose tax rate determines how much you pay. The church tax rate varies between parishes, but it generally falls between one and two per cent.
The Church compensates the state for the expenses accrued from collecting tax. In 2019, this compensation amounted to 14,6 million euros.
A Church member with an average income pays roughly 322 euros in church tax per year. If all Church members are considered, the average church tax is 228 euros per year.If you join the Church mid-year, you will not start paying church tax until the following year; church tax is only levied on people who are members when a new year begins.
Church tax allows parishes to carry out their work, and many reap the benefits of the tax through the activities and services offered by parishes.Some examples include:
Although you may not feel you currently need the help of the Church or your local parish, your church tax contribution matters: through it, you help parishes do their work for and with people.