Jordan Taylor and Mariana Garrettson
RR 1 Box 55c
Union Dale, PA 18470
April 16, 2006
To Whom It May Concern:
As with many members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) we (Jordan Taylor and Mariana Garrettson) have a conscientious objection to war. In the same way that our conscience, as informed by our religious beliefs, will not let us take up arms, neither will our conscience allow us to willingly turn over money that will be used to pay for war. While we have frequent disagreement with federal policies in many areas, war’s highly destructive nature, combined with “defense” spending dominance of federal budgetary priorities, has provoked our conscience in this area to the point of civil disobedience.
We are resisting payment of our 2005 federal income taxes in an effort to live consistently with our conscience and religious belief. The money we owe will be held in a community escrow account where it can be loaned to organizations working to establish conditions for peace, and where it will earn interest that will be donated to charities working for such change. We understand that the IRS may use its enforcement procedures to collect this money from us, but we hope that instead you will join us in this refusal to pay for war.
We have and will continue to urge our congressional representatives to reduce military expenditures, of which the US is the single largest spender several times over. We believe that this reduction is imperative in attaining long term security and justice for the United States and for the world.
We are also supporters of H.R. 2631 (the “Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Bill”), which would allow citizens with objections like ours to file for conscientious objector status in regard to income tax. All objectors’ tax liability would be placed in this tax fund and would only be used for non military portions of the federal budget. This arrangement would allow for compliance with federal income tax law without compromising deeply held religious belief.
Sincerely,
Jordan Taylor and Mariana Garrettson
