Eight per thousand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eight per thousand is an English translation of the name of an Italian law. Under this law Italian taxpayers are able to declare that 0.8% ('eight per thousand') of their taxes go to a religious confession or, alternatively, to a social assistance scheme run by the Italian State. This declaration is made on the I.R.P.E.F. form. People may also not declare a recipient. The law stipulates that this undeclared amount be distributed among the normal recipients of such taxes in proportion to what they have already received from explicit declarations. Only the Catholic Church and the Italian State have agreed to take this undeclared portion of the tax.
[edit] History
Originally the Italian government of Benito Mussolini, under the Lateran treaties of 1929 with the Holy See, payed a monthly salary to Catholic clergymen. This salary was called the congrua. The eight per thousand law was created as a result of an agreement, in 1984, between the Italian Republic and the Holy See.
[edit] Current situation
The last official statement of Italian Ministry of Finance made in respect of the year 2000 singles out seven beneficiaries: the Italian State, the Catholic Church, the Waldenses, the Jewish Communities, the Lutherans, the Seventh-day Adventists and the Assemblies of God in Italy.
The tax was divided up as follows:
- 87.17% Catholic Church
- 10.35% Italian State
- 1.21% Waldenses
- 0.46% Jewish Communities
- 0.32% Lutherans
- 0.28% Adventists of the Seventh Day
- 0.21% Assemblies of God in Italy
In 2000 the Catholic Church raised almost a billion euros, while the Italian State received about 100 million euros.
