Easter Season 2007
TO WHOM IT SHOULD CONCERN:
Once again I am paying my Federal Income Tax under protest, grieving that the major portion pays for war and military endeavors.
I contend that supporting violent solutions to world problems does not lead to peace and is contrary to my understanding of God’s will for our world. In paying for war, the American people are indeed sacrificing — sacrificing money that could be used for things that lead to real peace and security, such as health and education, adequate housing for all, aid programs to alleviate profound poverty, and support of human rights for everyone in the global community. Instead we generate refugees, from the mountains of Colombia to the sands of Iraq, displaced persons fleeing destruction of their homes and seeking safety from violence sponsored by our individual tax dollars. Our own nation experiences a widening gap between the rich and the poor and skewed opportunities to fulfill basic needs, while our uncontrolled appetite for oil and drugs consumes our souls and leads us to war.
In partial penance for my complicity in war through payment of taxes, I am withholding $5.70, symbolizing the more than 50% of federal taxes dedicated to the military and the additional 7% of income taxes being used for war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I look forward to the day that the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Bill (introduced annually in Congress since 1972, accumulating a growing list of supporters each year) is passed into law, allowing legal alternatives for conscientious objectors.
In God’s Peace,
Joan C. Anderson
14 April 2007
cc: U.S. Senators Nelson and Martinez; U.S. Representative Stearns;
The Rev. Dr. Michael Collins; IRS Commissioner Mark Everson;
National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee
