Some churches outside the US are taxed. But the situation varies.   France may have an aggressively secular state, due to perceived abuses by the Church in the past. But in Germany the situation is totally different. It's much more of a partnership.

At least in 1998, (International Academy for Freedom of Religion and Belief-- paper by Juergen Warnke): "religious communities which are public law corporations" (most of the largest religious groups) " have the right to levy taxes on the basis of the income tax." They can tax their own members and the state collects the tax for them.

In some parts of Germany the connection is even closer. " For instance in Bavaria, for those churches with public law corporation status, the state of Bavaria pays about 8 DM per member per year as a kind of remuneration to the churches."

Regardless of how Mudcatters may protest the tax exemption of churches in the US, it's nothing like the Bavarian situation. The US First Amendment plays a role not always seen abroad.

Perhaps Wolfgang or another of our German posters could comment--in case this is an oversimplification.