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A Catholic Archbishop has proposed that governments deduct tithes from workers’ monthly salaries and forward to the church.
The Ugandan cleric, Most Reverend Cyprian Kizito Lwanga of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala, said this at St Mary’s Cathedral, Rubaga.
According to Citizen TV, Lwanga opined that Christians would pay the right amount as and when due if the central government deducted 10 per cent from their salaries and forwarded the deductions directly to the church.
He regretted that non-payment of tithes was affecting project development in the church.
His words: “Whenever we ask for tithe, everyone gives only what they have at that time. But the Bible says a tenth of whatever you earn belongs to the church.
“Give me your support as I front this proposal because it is good for us. Aren’t you tired of putting money in the baskets all the time?”
Lwanga said he wanted Uganda to toe the line of Germany, where citizens who are registered as Catholics, Protestants or Jews have a church tax (Kirchensteuer) of eight to nine per cent deducted from their annual income. The church tax is collected by the government and channeled to the respective faiths.
“I was told Germans make agreements with their government to deduct monthly tithe from their salaries and forward it to the church and this money they use to build and renovate their churches,” he added.