GERMANY
Newsweek
By Conor Gaffey 7/16/15
The curious case of an Italian footballer who owes the German Catholic Church €1.7m in unpaid church taxes has hit a snag as a second appeal hearing produced no conclusive result.
Luca Toni, who played for German giants Bayern Munich between 2007 and 2009, is facing the bill for failing to pay the kirchensteuer, a tax of between 8-9% of their income tax levied on all Catholics, Protestants and Jews living in Germany.
The striker, who is a Catholic, is now suing the city of Munich and his former tax advisors for compensation after claiming that he was misled following his transfer to Munich from Italian side Fiorentina in 2007, according to German publication DW.
The case highlights the religious levies operating in Germany, which generate billions for religious institutions and have led to waves of Christians renouncing their church membership in protest.
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