National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee

I call money “green energy,” because where we plant it, it will grow!

Hello Friends!

julia butterfly hill portrait

What a joy and an honor it is to write this letter on behalf of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee.

It is that time of year again — harvest time for many organizations asking for financial support — and also the time when many people start figuring out what their tax liability is for the year.

What a powerful year it has been. We have seen the escalation of oppression and violence by political and corporate structures against people and the planet, but we have also seen an incredible global uprising of people who are standing against the forces of injustice in the world.

One of the greatest tools we have in the world today is our money. Where do we spend it and invest it? I call money “green energy,” because where we plant it, it will grow! If we plant it in systems of oppression and violence, then that is what we will grow. However, if we plant our green energy in organizations, businesses, and people who are at work helping heal our world and planet, then we grow more beauty, connections, equity, and health.

At this time when many people are faced with investing in the war machine of the U.S. government (and I include the war on the planet in this), what better thing to do with our money than to redirect it and invest in the world we actually want to live in?

Almost 10 years ago, I was faced with a tax liability of $175,000 as a result of a lawsuit settlement. Even though I had already committed to giving 100 percent of the settlement away, the IRS considered the lawsuit personal income, and taxed it accordingly. The closing of this settlement came right as the U.S. war machine was beating the battle drums to launch their illegal attack on Iraq under the guise of Weapons of Mass Destruction and their supposed involvement with September 11th attacks (both of which, of course, were later proven completely false).

I, along with millions of people across the United States, took to the streets in protest. I joined people in protests across the country, from Louisiana to California. But in the back of my mind, I kept thinking, “How in the world do we think we are going to stop this machine if we keep going home and feeding it with our tax dollars?” I knew in my heart and soul, I could not give $175,000 to the violence and brutality I knew was about to be launched.

I went online and researched to find out about war tax resistance and talked with people who were war tax resisters and redirectors. It was in this process that I got connected to the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. I found their online resources to be invaluable, plus they helped me find and connect with other people who have taken this stand, so I could be best prepared to make this choice. On top of that, I have continued to direct people to NWTRCC who express interest as well as concerns about joining this movement for peace.

It is now closing in on 10 years since I did my first redirection, and I have continued to do so ever since. Like I told the IRS, “I am not refusing to pay my taxes. I am, however, paying them where they belong because you currently refuse to do so.” I have dealt with being swamped under paperwork, threatening and intense phone calls, and being taken to preliminary court hearings, along with having to become very creative with how I live my life and cover my basic needs without the IRS taking my money. It is not easy, but it is absolutely one of the most empowering actions I have ever taken, and continue to take.

Please join me at this important time in supporting the ongoing work and efforts of NWTRCC. Invest your green energy in insuring that this crucial support system thrives for all of us and for all the future war tax resisters still to come.

In solidarity, peace, love, and joy,

Julia Butterfly Hill
November 2011

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Photo courtesy of Julia Butterfly Hill. Read about Julia, order her latest book Becoming, and learn about her latest projects at www.juliabutterfly.com or on Facebook.

Want more background? See our 2006 NWTRCC interview with Julia about her war tax resistance.