19 Oct 2015
Dear IRS Employee,
As a conscientious objector to war, I will not pay my 2014 1040X income tax. I believe war killing is wrong and therefore I cannot pay for it. There are other ways for nations to resolve their conflicts with one another besides through war killing.
The U.S. government spends nearly half its budget on war & preparations for war. This type of spending does not reflect my humanitarian values and therefore I will not support it.
I am paying my self-employment tax and health care individual responsibility. I previously sent you a payment with my original return on March 26, 2015. I previously sent the full amount of my income tax and my original estimated tax penalty to the Peace Tax Escrow Fund of the Purchase Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. This leaves $37 penalty for me to send to the Escrow Fund to be held until the U.S. Government finds a way to wage non-violent war.
I am not opposed to paying taxes. I want to fulfill my financial responsibilities to the country I live in but I also cannot violate my religious beliefs. The federal government funds essential aspects needed for a healthy country & world, such as education, public transportation, housing, natural disaster relief, health care, job training, humanitarian assistance. But since I know that the majority of my tax dollars will not go towards any of this, I will continue to redirect my tax dollars to the Peace Tax Escrow Fund of the Purchase Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends to be held until the U.S. Government finds a way to wage non-violent war.
Sincerely,
Thomas Gail Haws
cc: Representative Matt Salmon Senator Jeff Flake Senator John McCain Purchase Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee
