Thousands of people in Iceland have joined a new religion, Zuism, which promises to offer a refund on the religion tax they would otherwise have to pay to the state under Icelandic tax rules, regardless of whether or not they belong to an official church
Based on ancient Sumerian beliefs, Zuism was officially recognised as a religion in Iceland in 2013. The church reportedly has around 3,000 members - almost 1% of the population - and has become the fastest growing religious group in Iceland.
The tax conundrum arises as Icelanders are required to register their religion with the state and to pay ‘parish fees’ which are collected through the taxation system. The amount set in next year’s Icelandic budget is the equivalent of around £50 per taxpayer per year.
If the person is not religious, the payment goes to the state, becoming part of the income tax budget.
The dominant religion in Iceland is Lutheran while around a third of the population are ‘non-religious’ and 10% define themselves as atheist, according to the last European Commission Eurobarometer poll in 2010.
The Zuism website says: ‘The organisation’s primary objective is that the government repeal any law that grants religious organisations privilege, financial or otherwise, above other organisations. Furthermore Zuists demand that the government’s registry of its citizens’ religion will be abolished.’
The organisation promises to give the cash it receives from the state as a result of the levy back to its members, saying that anyone over the age of 16 registering with the religion would get a refund.
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