The Church council recommended in 2005 that parishes could charge members 200 euros for a burial plot in their home parish. Despite that recommendation, 82 parishes still offer a final resting place for no fee.
As the recommendation was not universally implemented, sturdier measures are in the works. Parliament is currently mulling an amendment to legislation that would come into force at the turn of the year.
”This law means that parishes where burial plots have been free will have to set a price for the burial plots,” said Harri Palo of the Church Council.
The aim is to ensure that church taxes are no longer used for the maintenance of cemeteries. In this way, both members and non-members of the church pay for graveyard upkeep.
Secular Finns skirt church tax
Palo understands, however, that many parishes have a long tradition of offering the service without demanding payment.
“This is an old culture, but it has to be understood that things have to change,” explained Palo. “The issue is equal treatment for parishes and taxpayers.”
Church finances have been hit by a trend of increasingly secular Finns resigning their church membership, thus removing the obligation to pay the Church tax. The tax is set by each parish, and was on average 1.3 percent of income this year.
More than 300,000 people have resigned via a website since 2003, leaving a big hole in church budgets.
The parish of Vihti in western Uusimaa offers places in its cemetery free of charge. The parish’s gardener Marko Laasko says that it has been possible because maintenance costs have been kept low. Free burials are regarded as important.
“Funerals come with other costs, but we have wanted to offer parishioners the burial plot for free,” explained Laakso. He is not sure what effect the new payment system will have on the parish’s reputation, as feedback could be harsh if fees suddenly rise in future.