A story from Finland jumped out of the paper at me recently: “In Finland, Every Citizen’s Taxable Income Is Revealed” (NY Times, 11/2/2018). The article describes a surprising tradition in that country. Many in Finland feel that this transparency helps to control the gap between high and low incomes and to control disparities in… Continue reading
Colrain after 25 Years: Learning from an action
A summary of a great weekend at the New England Gathering of War Tax Resisters Woolman Hill, Deerfield, Massachusetts, November 16-18, 2018 Between 1989 and 1993, hundreds of people flocked to Colrain, Mass., to voice their opposition to war and military spending by supporting the war tax resistance (WTR) of Betsy Corner and Randy Kehler when… Continue reading
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
I find myself torn once again between getting myself out the door to be at a demonstration versus doing all the personal and behind-the-scenes political projects that are piled up around me. This weekend is the Women’s March on the Pentagon, a protest initiated by Cindy Sheehan and inspired by the 51st anniversary of the… Continue reading
Niger Needs Food, Not Drones
Ed and I had an amazing trip twelve years ago to the Sahara Desert in Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world. For those of you who know us, the reason we’ve traveled to some more unusual places is the chance to see a total eclipse of the sun — and it’s true,… Continue reading
Laugh, Cry, Carry On! Mining NWTRCC’s Archives
As Erica mentioned in her post last week, I’ve been clearing out old war tax resistance files and sorting those that will go to the Swarthmore College Peace Collection. Along with many other peace groups — War Resisters League, National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom — NWTRCC… Continue reading
Resisting Nukes: Then, Now and How Much Longer?
I am among the many war tax resisters who got into this form of resistance after becoming aware of the horror of nuclear weapons, the damage done by every step of the process to build them, and the incredible waste of trillions of dollars over seven decades. Surely the world would look very different if… Continue reading
The president, his taxes and the resistance
“The I.R.S. Should Go After Trump” was a headline on an op-ed piece in the New York Times that jumped out at me the other day. In part I’m always interested in articles about the IRS, and it did impart some good information on their practices. It also reminded me of all the brouhaha around… Continue reading
Photo Reflections from LA
Erica posted last week about the Los Angeles WTR gathering, and much about it is still on my mind, so I’ll just add more photos and captions from our time there. It was my last gathering and business meeting as coordinator of NWTRCC (this is my new email address), and now after a few days… Continue reading
Tax Day 2016 – photos, articles, interviews
Last year on tax day in New York City there was a long line of people outside the IRS waiting to get inside for forms or to have questions answered. This year there was no line at all. Does that mean the IRS was more efficient? Or was it because people didn’t really notice that… Continue reading
New Collection Challenges
For years war tax resisters (or potential resisters) have worried about travel abroad. Will my tax debt show up in a passport check when leaving or returning to the U.S.? Despite reassurances that many of us travel abroad and this has not been an issue, the fear lingered in the minds of many. Unfortunately, on… Continue reading
Another Look: The Film “Death and Taxes”
Even 5 years after its initial release, Death & Taxes is still relevant to anyone trying to become more involved in the peace movement. The film is a wonderful, light-hearted telling of the lives many war tax resisters have lived and how it doesn’t take much more than a belief to start protesting for peace…. Continue reading
Stephen Leeds
April 15, 2015 To: Senator Barbara Boxer Senator Diane Feinstein Rep. Nancy Pelosi Internal Revenue Service Center, San Francisco (with Form 1040) Commissioners of the Internal Revenue Service President Barack Obama Clerk, San Francisco Friends Meeting, Religious Society of Friends People’s Life Fund This letter concerns my IRS Form 1040 for calendar year 2014. I’m sending a… Continue reading