Ukrainians will decide for themselves which organization receives a portion of their tax — a church or a civic organization

The head of the Verkhovna Rada’s Humanitarian Committee, Mykyta Poturaiev, explained why the process of parishes transferring from the UOC-MP to the OCU slowed after the surge of 2022 year. According to him, society has “become accustomed” to the issue, and the state is acting within the approved law, which provides a judicial procedure for severing ties with Moscow.

Poturaiev admitted that the law is too liberal, but said that this model was necessary to protect against accusations of arbitrariness. He emphasized that the process has not stopped, although it is progressing more slowly than desired.

The politician also drew attention to financial inequality between churches: the UOC-MP has the support of wealthy businessmen and politicians, while the OCU survives on donations from patriotically minded citizens. This creates staffing problems for the OCU.

After victory, according to Poturaiev, the state could introduce a new funding model: every citizen would have the right to direct a portion of their tax to a religious or civic organization. Such a system already operates in several European countries, including Romania.