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NWTRCC News

Attention Teachers!

If you teach Thoreau or want to in­spire class­room dis­cus­sions about the change pos­sible through non­violent ac­tion and civil dis­obe­di­ence, con­sider using NWTRCC’s new teach­ing packet. Click here for more in­for­ma­tion about NWTRCC’s new study guide and kit, “Thoreau and His Heirs.”

Fall Events

Join war tax re­sist­ers in DC, Boston, Ten­nes­see, Georgia — and at local actions. More info…

WTRs Report to Prison

Read about the case of Car­los Stew­ard, who headed to Fed­eral Prison Camp on Au­gust 6, 2010. His ad­dress is at the end of the ar­ti­cle.

On July 26, Frank Don­nel­ly re­ported to fed­eral prison to begin serv­ing a year sen­tence for char­ges re­lated to his re­fusal to pay for war.… Read more …

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“The IRS has a huge collection process that lasts for years and at every stage of that collection process, the war tax resister has a choice about what to do. So that’s why I believe that it’s really a one step at a time kind of thing, and that imagining the worst possible consequences before you even begin the process is paralyzing. And it doesn’t let your conscience struggle with doubts one by one.”

—Bill Ramsey, from Death & Taxes

Consequences of War Tax Resistance

Direct action for peace often entails exposure to unpredictable risks. War tax resistance is no exception, and some of the most common risks include:

• Receiving a stream of tax due notices, adding on civil penalties up to 25% of the unpaid tax, plus compound interest.
• Seizure of wages, bank accounts, and other property after the IRS sends a “final demand” notice.
• If the IRS catches up with nonfilers, they will be told to file for any number of years and may face stiffer fines.
• If a false or inflated W-4 form is suspected, the IRS will require the employer to adjust it to the minimum allowance.
• Returns claiming an unallowable deduction, blank returns, or those with political messages written on them may lead to an additional “frivolous return” penalty as high as $5,000. Sometimes a letter of protest enclosed with a tax form can generate a “frivolous” warning letter from the IRS; merely enclosing a letter should not generate a fine. (click here for more information)
• Federal prosecutions — whether civil (e.g., IRS v. Hedemann) or criminal — are possible, but for war tax resisters they are so rare that in most cases the risk is negligible.
• Being ignored or overlooked by the IRS.

The consequences of war tax resistance can vary by method, individual circumstances, and the whims or inconsistencies of IRS procedures, resources, and abilities. A rule of thumb is that “what they can do and what they will do” can be two very different things. One of the beauties of war tax resistance is also that at any point the resister can adjust their method of resistance or “bail out” by paying up if circumstances change. Here is a link to list of war tax resisters taken to court or jailed since World War II, as well as property seizures against war tax resisters in the last 30 years.

Many resisters conclude that the positive consequences outweigh the negative:

• Resisted taxes are often given to meet human needs.
• Resistance may motivate others to act, or may provide new opportunities to communicate your beliefs to others.
• Feelings of empowerment, liberation, and personal integrity may themselves compensate for any penalties.

More information on consequences and dealing with consequences can be found through:

• Profiles of resisters on this website
• The book War Tax Resistance: A Guide to Withholding Your Support from the Military
• Talking with a war tax counselor and other war tax resisters
• The pamphlet “How to Resist Collection, or Make the Most of Collection When It Occurs”
• War tax resistance pages on the War Resisters League website
• NWTRCC’s film Death and Taxes