MP: Ukrainians should finance the OCU and UGCC from their taxes
Nikita Poturaev stated that Ukrainian citizens should direct a percentage of their taxes to support religious organizations.
People's Deputy of Ukraine, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Nikita Poturaev has proposed an initiative to introduce a mechanism for tax financing of religious organizations. He announced this at a press conference dedicated to the presentation of the all-Ukrainian survey "Assessment of the Religious Situation in Ukraine".
"This is about giving Ukrainian citizens the opportunity to support from their taxes those religious organizations that they consider necessary. This is a model widely spread in Europe," Poturaev stated. Among the "necessary" ones, he included the OCU and the UGCC. In contrast, he cited the example of the UOC, which allegedly was financed according to a "feudal-lobbying system."
According to him, the UOC received funds from people who "privatized huge state assets," and such practice allegedly continues today.
Poturaev assured that the OCU and UGCC will not go this way, and therefore need Ukrainian taxpayers' money.
"Knowing the opposition of both His Beatitude Sviatoslav and His Beatitude Epiphanius – our churches will not go this way, because this is not the Middle Ages. This is the ROC and structures affiliated with it, and we see that they actually strive for the Middle Ages. Therefore, this issue needs to be resolved," Poturaev urged.
The MP did not mention that Article 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine directly declares the separation of Church and state.
Legislative formalization of the initiative, according to Poturaev, will require time. "Of course, this will have to be formalized legislatively, possibly more specifically – after our victory," he concluded.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that, according to Poturaev, the authorities are studying the status of the UOC based on Russian documents.
