German Church Taxes

In an earlier post, I wrote that the German tithe to one's church was voluntary. I was incorrect. Much to my shock and horror--8-9% of an individual's income tax goes to churches. A German pays this if he/she is a card-carrying Roman Catholic or mainstream Protestant. The taxes are sent to the German government and then returned to German churches.

This brings up several things:

1. How an economic downturn would discourage Germans to attend church/continue membership. Lower incomes mean less taxes which means less money for churches.

2. There is no separation of Church and State. Shouldn't voluntary attendance at church be free of government taxation and bureacracy?

3. Church leaders in Germany will continue to lay off their employees and close churches. What does this mean for the future of Christianity there?

Here's an article about other countries in Europe and their church taxes. It may be slightly out-of-date...but I plan to research this more.