---
title: Tax Issues Arise for Victim of Church Abuse
url: https://www.faithfulnews.com/en/tax-issues-arise-for-victim-of-church-abuse
published: 2026-10-19T15:48:35+00:00
language: en
section: Persecution
source: https://cath.ch/newsf/abus-un-vaudois-somme-de-payer-des-impots-sur-une-indemnite-de-leglise-2026-10-16
publisher: FaithfulNews
---

# Tax Issues Arise for Victim of Church Abuse

A resident from Vaud was sexually assaulted by a pastoral agent while he was a student at a Catholic institution, as reported on October 16, 2026. Since the criminal proceedings were time-barred, the victim had signed an extrajudicial agreement in 2022 with representatives of the Catholic Church and the implicated pastoral agent. The agreement stipulated that the congregation would pay the victim an amount of 200,000 francs as compensation for the moral harm suffered. This amount was symbolically close to the total school fees that the victim's mother had paid.

An additional indemnity of 20,000 francs was paid for moral harm in acknowledgment of the abuse that occurred in an ecclesial context.

The Office of Taxation exempted the 20,000 francs as indemnity for the moral harm based on the victim's income declaration. In the canton of Vaud, amounts received for this reason are generally exempt. However, the Cantonal Tax Administration only agreed to exempt half (100,000 francs) of the 200,000 francs paid by the congregation. The former student appealed this decision to the Administrative and Public Law Court of the Cantonal Tribunal, but lost.

The court determined that exempting only 100,000 francs as compensation for moral harm was in accordance with the law. The court based its decision on the maximum amount previously allocated by the Federal Court for sexual abuse cases.

It is noteworthy that the Swiss Bishops' Conference met on September 21, 2026, with representatives of organizations advocating for victims of sexual abuse within an ecclesial context. To ensure the liquidity of the compensation fund in 2026, the institution decided to proceed with an eleventh replenishment, amounting to 300,000 francs.

## This story in other languages

- [Deutsch](https://www.faithfulnews.com/de/vaudois-muss-steuern-auf-kirchentschadigung-zahlen)
- [Español](https://www.faithfulnews.com/es/un-vaudois-obligado-a-pagar-impuestos-sobre-una-indemnizacion-de-la-iglesia)
- [Italiano](https://www.faithfulnews.com/it/un-vaudois-somme-di-pagare-imposte-su-indennita-ecclesiastica)
- [Svenska](https://www.faithfulnews.com/sv/vaudois-somme-de-betala-skatt-pa-ersattning-fran-kyrkan)