Addressing congregants at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Rubaga during mass, Catholic Archbishop of Kampala, Uganda, Most Reverend Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, told the central government to deduct tithes from the monthly salaries of workers, and forward the deductions directly to the church.
According to the Catholic Archbishop, non-payment of tithes affects project development in the church. He said;
“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 8 to 9% deducted from their annual income.
“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.
“In Germany where I have recently been, if an employee is supposed to be getting Shs1 million, the government deducts Shs100,000 and he/she walks away with Shs900,000 and it is working very well,” Archbishop Lwanga said.
