A Question of Faith

After my previous post about taxes this is a more specialised concern. More of a question really. Something that has been on my mind.
I've described the tax situation. I've mentioned the "church tax". In Germany, the Church (both Protestant and Catholic) may levy taxes at the rate of 9% of your income tax. That then gets added on top of everything else. Individually it may not be much but things add up. The revenue from this tax makes about 70% of the Church funds.
Now, there is a way to eliminate it, as I've hinted at: you can leave the church and officially become what is called "undenominational", meaning before the law and the Church you have no religion. With that you also loose the right to claim the services of a priest.
To save some tax I've chosen that route. I've already taken the first step by going to the magistrate's court and declaring I wish to leave the Church. Formalities will now go their usual course. That's roughly when the questions started plaguing me. I've written before that I've started to believe in God. I want to. I believe that even this little faith has done some good things for me. A prayer just before my job interviews, for example, seemed to make them go more smoothly - and more successfully. I've always tried to remember to say thanks but now by leaving the Church I feel a bit like a St. Peter. I feel uncomfortable, remorseful. Am I not betraying Him just as He has begun showing me His kindness? It seemed like a small thing before. Then when the officer said I would become "undenominational" it felt as if she had said "faithless". Isn't this denial? In refusing to pay this tax to support the Church am I denying God? Or asked the other way round: If I recognise God am I also required to provide for His declared servants on earth? I comfort myself with the idea that if I require a priest I will make a donation directly to that person. But that's only part of the solution. All sorts of official documents will now have this word on them. This word that says to the world that I believe nothing. Of course, what's really important is what's in my heart (probably a lot of people list a denomination but don't believe at all). I don't need to go to church to have God in my heart. Still, will He think I'm petty or greedy that I value those 9% so highly? Or will He forgive me because on His earth everyone has to make a living as best they can? Jesus did forgive Peter his denials. Then again, Peter was his disciple and had shown his faith many times before. A year ago I would never have thought that this would end up being a question of faith. And I don't believe there is an easy answer to it either.

Daylight Robbery

The Discworld. Four wizards (well, three wizards and an ape) from the Unseen University (UU) want to travel from the city of Ankh-Morpork to the remote kingdom of Lancre. There's only one coach that goes there and the price turns out to be 50 Dollars. Per person. Archchancellor Ridcully of UU is outraged.
"Fifty dollars each is daylight robbery!"
"No", said the coachman patiently. He proceeds to explain to the wizards the concepts of daylight, nighttime and twilight robbery and how they are related to his business.
"Are you saying", said Ridcully, "that getting robbed is included in the price?"
"Bandits' Guild", said the coachman. "Forty dollars per head, see. It's a kind of flat rate."
"What happens if we don't pay it?" said Ridcully.
"You end up flat."
~ taken and abridged from Lords and Ladies (pp 70 - 71) by Terry Pratchett.

Why am I relating this little excerpt? Because I sympathise with the wizards. I'm beginning to realise how they must feel.
About a year ago I made the conscious decision that I was going to return home to Germany. I wouldn't stay in any of the amazing countries I had visited - neither China nor Singapore. I wanted to work and live in Germany. To do something for my country, to be home. Little did I expect I'd come to regret this decision so quickly.
I've found a job. A pretty good one. I'd be working as an IT consultant on state-of-the-art technology. That should be the right start for my career. Besides, with the British Pound down, America in deep financial trouble but the Euro still fairly stable I should be in the right place, right? Well. I'm still shocked to find out what goes on here.
With my current marital status (single), in my current age bracket, considering that I'm only starting my career in Germany and based on an annual salary of €40,000 my net income would be €23,400-something. I'll let that number sink in for a moment. 23.5 out of 40. Now this shows that my income tax plus compulsory national insurance premiums (health care, pension, unemployment) take away almost 50% of my pre-tax income. Almost 50%! I can't make this bold or italic enough. I was so shocked. And that does not even include the "church tax". Yes, Germany is the only country (together with Austria and Switzerland) that I'm aware of where the church may levy taxes. And it's no small slice: 9% of your basic tax rate again goes to the church. The only way of eliminating that is the leave the Church and become "confessionless". Makes you wonder why anybody is still a member. Another quote from an old comedy show comes to my mind: "Every month you give them [the government] what you earn and they'll give back the part of it they don't want." Sounds funny but I'm beginning to think we should do it that way. It would cut out a lot of hassle and heart-ache. You wouldn't actually know what you earn, only what they leave you.
It's painful now, to look back at my time in UK. In 2007 an average month's salary was just under £2,400; payable tax plus national insurance totalling just above £600. That makes roughly a quarter, some 25%. It is with infinite disappointment that I'm coming to realise that in Germany I will have to work harder (being a consultant instead of a software developer) and I will effectively get less for my efforts. Is this how my country rewards me for coming home, for wanting to work here? With taxes like that how come anybody is actually remotely surprised that wealthy people have their bank accounts in Switzerland? Funny, I think a lot of our lawmakers also do. With such taxes on one side and a social net with unemployment and social benefits on the other, is it surprising that so many people lean back and basically refuse to make the effort to find work? It doesn't really seem that industrious people are rewarded here. Of course, the social-democratic government sees itself as a kind of Robin Hood - "we take from the rich and give to the poor." The thing is that such a system, as true socialist societies have shown, doesn't promote effort but at most a kind of mediocrity.
I can't help wondering over and over: I came back for this? To work my ass off for the government, so that they can redistribute wealth as they see fit and opportune? To allow them to subsidise the unemployed and various forms of more or less profitable agriculture and industry, to iron out other people's mistakes and failed business ventures (Commerzbank, Opel) - all to secure future voters? For that I am still paying almost €500 of "solidarity surcharge" more than ten years after the reunification of the country?
I am German. And I certainly feel German (and not European as some contemporaries have said). But this cannot go on. This blatant daylight robbery must come to an end. I will not sit still for it for long. I will work here as long as it takes to build up an attractive skill set. If there is no change until then I will look for a new home.