diff --git a/po/CMakeLists.txt b/po/CMakeLists.txt
index 8833cf4e2a..25e78466ca 100644
--- a/po/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/po/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ endforeach (lingua)
 
 add_custom_target(po-gmo ALL DEPENDS ${CATALOGS})
 
-set_local_dist(po_DIST_local ${po_SOURCES} CMakeLists.txt Makevars
+set_local_dist(po_DIST_local ${po_SOURCES} CMakeLists.txt
   POTFILES.in POTFILES.skip README gnucash-pot.cmake)
 set(po_DIST ${po_DIST_local} ${po_glossary_DIST} PARENT_SCOPE)
 
@@ -122,8 +122,6 @@ if(BUILD_GNUCASH_POT)
   make_gnucash_potfiles()
 
   find_program(XGETTEXT xgettext)
-  configure_file (${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/Makevars
-    ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/Makevars COPYONLY)
 
   if (${XGETTEXT} STREQUAL "XGETTEXT-NOTFOUND")
     message(FATAL_ERROR "Can't find the 'xgettext' program.")
diff --git a/po/Makevars b/po/Makevars
deleted file mode 100644
index d717e3784f..0000000000
--- a/po/Makevars
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,31 +0,0 @@
-# Makefile variables for PO directory in any package using GNU gettext.
-
-# Usually the message domain is the same as the package name.
-DOMAIN = $(PROJECT_NAME)
-
-# These two variables depend on the location of this directory.
-subdir = po
-top_builddir = ..
-
-# These options get passed to xgettext.
-XGETTEXT_OPTIONS = --keyword=_ --keyword=N_ --keyword=Q_ \
-                   --keyword=translate:1,1t --keyword=translate:1c,2,2t       \
-                   --keyword=translate:1,2,3t --keyword=translate:1c,2,3,4t
-# The two lines below are also for boost::locale. I haven't added them (yet) as
-# we should first investigate whether they interfere with plain C gettext keywords
-#                   --keyword=gettext:1 --keyword=pgettext:1c,2                \
-#                   --keyword=ngettext:1,2 --keyword=npgettext:1c,2,3          \
-
-# This is the copyright holder that gets inserted into the header of the
-# $(DOMAIN).pot file.  Set this to the copyright holder of the surrounding
-# package.  (Note that the msgstr strings, extracted from the package's
-# sources, belong to the copyright holder of the package.)  Translators are
-# expected to transfer the copyright for their translations to this person
-# or entity, or to disclaim their copyright.  The empty string stands for
-# the public domain; in this case the translators are expected to disclaim
-# their copyright.
-COPYRIGHT_HOLDER =
-
-# This is the list of locale categories, beyond LC_MESSAGES, for which the
-# message catalogs shall be used.  It is usually empty.
-EXTRA_LOCALE_CATEGORIES =