The suppression of tax exemptions which have benefited the Catholic Church for decades is a “smokescreen that hides more important issues to be solved in Church-State relationships”, writes our member Europa Laica.
It hides “other trade-offs in favour of the Spanish Church, such as overlooking the unconstitutional registration of real estate by the Catholic Church, contrary to the initial government commitment, or continuing with the exemption on the property tax for buildings that provide economic returns. This latter issue is also contrary to the pronouncement by EU institutions, which denounced this situation as a possible violation of EU regulations on state aid.”
Europa Laica calls for the repeal of the 1979 Agreements between Spain and the Holy See, which limit state sovereignty on issues related to church funding, tax privileges, the presence of confessionalism in education, etc.
“These agreements must be denounced and repealed as an unavoidable condition for progress in democracy in a pluralistic society, with respect for freedom of conscience and the secularity of the State”
The press release can be found here.
