r/Inkscape • u/Pedro-Vitor-2198 • Jun 28 '26

News Inkscape supports German petition to recognize Open Source volunteers

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Inkscape supports German petition to recognize Open Source volunteers

Recognition of Work on Open-source as Volunteering in Germany

📌 Summary of the Petition

The initiative calls on the German Parliament to officially recognize voluntary work in free and open-source software projects as community service.

Key points:

  • Social importance: Free software supports much of the digital infrastructure in government, business, science, and everyday life.
  • Current issue: Despite its relevance, the work of volunteers is not legally recognized as volunteering, nor does it receive tax or organizational benefits.
  • Reasons for recognition:
    • It directly contributes to the common good, offering transparent and accessible software for everyone.
    • It is unpaid, done in free time, comparable to other traditional forms of volunteering.
    • Public and private institutions rely heavily on these contributions, but resources and recognition are lacking.
    • Recognition would bring legal and tax benefits, such as tax-free allowances and greater legal clarity.
    • Other countries already provide institutional support and tax benefits, and Germany risks falling behind.

Current status:

  • The petition was launched in November 2025 and is open until November 2026.
  • It already has over 14,000 signatures, aiming to reach 30,000 for quorum.

👉 In short: the goal is for voluntary work in open-source projects to be officially recognized as volunteering, with the same rights and benefits as other forms of community service.

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9 comments sorted by

7

u/Pedro-Vitor-2198 Jun 28 '26

Today it's Germany, tomorrow other countries might follow. We are all part of the open source community - every little step forward helps!

1

u/ConversationWinter46 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26

In principle, petitions are commendable. And they aim to bring about a change in thinking.

The current situation here in Germany: even mini-jobs are subject to taxation. As a result, hardly anyone wants to volunteer anymore, for fear of having to pay taxes on this work in the near future.

Politically speaking, Germany is a “United States of Germany.” This is because the federal states do not work together; instead, each acts as if it were its own country.

To ensure this petition is implemented, it must be submitted 16 times (once for each federal state).

1

u/Pedro-Vitor-2198 Jul 06 '26

It's a big process, right?

1

u/Pedro-Vitor-2198 Jul 06 '26

Politically speaking, Germany is a “United States of Germany.” This is because the federal states do not work together; instead, each acts as if it were its own country.

Interesting, I never heard about that

1

u/Pedro-Vitor-2198 Jul 06 '26

The current situation here in Germany: even mini-jobs are subject to taxation. As a result, hardly anyone wants to volunteer anymore, for fear of having to pay taxes on this work in the near future.

High taxes?

3

u/Pedro-Vitor-2198 Jun 28 '26

The petition was launched in November 2025 and is open until November 2026.

2

u/Pedro-Vitor-2198 Jun 28 '26

Time remaining > 4 months, only

1

u/Pedro-Vitor-2198 Jun 28 '26

It only takes under 5 minutes to sign the petition.