Record money allocated to the Church Fund
12:51
The state budget for next year planned for the Church Fund about PLN 50 million more than assumed in the draft budget act for 2021 and PLN 10 million more than was spent on the Church in 2020. Meanwhile, various opposition groups have been fighting for the abolition of this fund, arguing that it was a step towards separating church from state.
The Church Fund was established pursuant to Art. 8 of the Act of March 20, 1950, as a form of compensation for churches for land properties seized by the state. What is financed by the fund? Its main goals include: subsidizing or fully financing social and health insurance contributions for clergymen, supporting church charity, educational and educational activities, as well as initiatives related to combating social pathologies, reconstruction, renovation, and maintenance of sacred buildings of historic value. Contributions to priests absorb the most. This is one of the reasons why the amount allocated to the fund is growing so quickly, as it depends on the increase in the minimum wage, which in turn affects the increase in ZUS contributions.
