DAVAO CITY, 3 July — A proposal by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to impose the tithe among church members has stirred a hornets’ nest.

Roberto Disa, 37, a taxi driver who professed to be a regular church-goer, said he is opposed to the idea of giving 10 percent of his income to the church.

“Taking away 10 percent of our measly income is too much,” he told Arab News.

He said the scheme would be hard to adopt because they were used to giving a “love offering.”

“They should allow us to give what we can afford. If they force us, I will bring my family to another church,” he threatened.

Bishops had earlier proposed to do away with the regular payments for burial, weddings, baptismal and special masses, and instead impose the tithes instead.

“I would rather pay for special mass because it’s not everyday that you die, get married or have a baptismal ceremony. Tithing is like paying withholding tax,” said Joy Dimson, a 53-year-old businessman.

Dimson changing what they have already learned as part of their spiritual activity would only discourage them to go to church.

“The Iglesia ni Kristo (INK) maybe successful in enforcing the tithing scheme but why do we have to follow them?” he asked.

He was referring to the INK, a church founded and headed by the Manalo family, whose presence in many towns in the country could be seen in their beautiful steepled churches.

INK members are also required to bring into the fold a certain minimum number of members in their lifetime.

Councilor Emmanuel Galicia, a Baptist minister, said their church are encouraging their members to give tithes.

For the Baptist, the tithes are usually collected first week of the month after the workers would receive their salary but if they could not do it on time, it would be up to them when to give.

But Galicia’s advice is that once the Catholic Church starts collecting tithes, there is a necessity for those who manage the church to be transparent with their collection.  “The church must also be transparent. Every quarter, we give an accounting of where the moneys goes,” he said.

A source from the CBCP said the tithe is going to be imposed later after series of consultations with church members.