Personal connections and growing war tax resistance

| Personal motivations
clockwise from left: photo of Peg Morton speaking, Susan Quinlan and Nancy Foster during the pillars of militarism workshop, and the assembled group watches clips of what became the film Death and Taxes

Last week, I was explaining war tax resistance to someone new. They asked how I got started. I talked about attending the November 2008 NWTRCC conference in Eugene. Meeting the knowledgeable and caring NWTRCC community, and having inquisitive and inspiring conversations with a variety of people, was my tipping point to start resistance. Likewise, this… Continue reading


Yes, it’s time for a tax strike

| National, News

A few weeks ago, Truthout published Is it time for a tax strike? A conversation with activist Michael Kink. Kink is executive director of the Strong Economy for All Coalition in New York City. The title of the article refers to to the very last prompt and answer in the interview. The prompt was, “People… Continue reading


Pleading the Fifth to the IRS

| Federal Income Tax, IRS

In 1985, the IRS took war tax resister and NWTRCC staff member Larry Bassett to court. Bassett had refused to pay any income taxes since 1980, and had refused the federal excise tax on telephone service since the early 1970s. The IRS wanted to compel him to give up information about his financial accounts so… Continue reading


The latest war tax resistance news coverage

| News

War tax resistance has received more news coverage already this year than in all of 2016. I’m thrilled that we’re being sought out! Many articles are spreading beyond the original source, by being summarized or reblogged on other websites. This is leading to some misinformation that I want to clear up: The National War Tax… Continue reading


Don’t Lament: Resist and Redirect in 2017

| National
Anti-Trump rally

This piece originally appeared in the December 2016 / January 2017 issue of NWTRCC’s bimonthly newsletter, More Than a Paycheck: Refusing to Pay for War. Subscribe to our e-list to receive this newsletter in your inbox! Don’t Lament: Resist and Redirect By Ruth Benn Some months ago a review copy of a book by one… Continue reading


Tax resistance in the age of Trump

| Federal Income Tax

Over the past month, I’ve been ruminating on the possibilities of war tax resistance in a Trump presidency. At first I was concerned: for folks who are concerned about a diminishing tax base and slashed social services, the idea of further defunding the government might seem ill-timed, at best. However, many people who are not… Continue reading


Join the NWTRCC network at the Iraq Tribunal

| International, National, News
The People's Tribunal on the Iraq War - December 1-2, 2016 - Washington DC - After 15 years of costly war based on lies, it's time for truth and accountability [with picture of a woman holding scales superimposed over the silhouette of Iraq's borders]

The People’s Tribunal on the Iraq War is taking place tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday, December 1 and 2. Tune in 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM Eastern time, December 1 and 2, through the Iraq Tribunal page , or watch directly on TheRealNews. Participate in the conversation via the Facebook page and on Twitter by following… Continue reading