Too much bureaucracy and I have to go back to my country for it, even to the same city/parish, apparently. And they might take their time and just "deny" it! It needs the approval of a Bishop or something like that.

I'm considering other avenues. Someone mentioned I can also be excommunicated if I punch the pope, but so far I'm trying to avoid violent solutions.

In Germany's case it's only the Catholic Church that does this shady stuff. It should have been like other churches, that only charge you if you frequent them in Germany. But the Catholic Lobby is strong, so if you have a register of baptism in Papua New Guine they will chase you and charge back taxes, even if your parents left the church, forgot to tell you about baptism, and were adopted by a family of another religion. Ooops.

It is paid on the salary. You have to declare yourself that you're part of a religion, though.

I know, right?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_tax

Protestants and members of other religions don't really have to pay unless they're a member of a church in German, but since the Catholic Church is centralized, everyone who was baptized has to pay. Yeah it sucks.