Reformed Church Negotiates Supplement From Central Budget

(MTI) – The government and Hungary’s Reformed Church have agreed on the amount the latter is to receive from state coffers as a supplement to voluntary personal income tax contributions, Bishop Gusztav Bolcskei, the leader of the church, announced on Wednesday.

Bolcskei added, however, that Hungary’s recent changes to church financing “could continue to have a negative impact” on his organisation.

Bolcskei said that the supplement would become payable to the Reformed Church after an agreement is signed with the government — probably late next month. The agreement, however, will not resolve “the overall problem” of church financing, he said.

The bishop voiced hope that Hungary’s new government would focus on resolving issues around church financing.

On April 20, Bolcskei said in an interview that church financing was not predictable as it was based on the contributions people could offer as one percent of their personal income tax each year.

“It is no good that we wait until December each year and whatever remains unallocated during the debate of the central budget is spent on church funding,” he said in the interview, and called for a “definite intention and a clear political decision by the government towards reconsidering the system”.

Photo: www.reformatus.ro

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters