The Serbian Orthodox Church will get another 1.7 billion dinars from the state budget for the completion of work on St Sava Church, writes the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia.
According to the decree of the Government of Serbia, the money will be allocated from the budget reserves. 43 million euro of taxpayers’ money has already been spent on the construction works on the church so far.
According to the newspaper ‘Insider’, churches in Serbia are privileged in several ways: they receive significant funds from the budget, they are exempt from taxes for religious activities, the citizens themselves pay social, pension and health insurance for priests, while the church manages its assets independently and pays no taxes or other fees.
In addition to being exempt from taxes on its activities and property, the Serbian Orthodox Church is a non-governmental organization that receives the most money from the state budget. According to research conducted by Insider, from 2002 to the beginning of 2017, the state allocated more than 90 million euro to all churches and religious communities, with most of it going to the Serbian Orthodox Church.
(021.rs, 14.04.2021)
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