Today we honor Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy as a passionate orator and organizer in the civil rights movement. He was also outspoken about the connections between racial, social, and economic justice and the United States government’s militarism. MLK was inspired by the war tax resistance of Henry David Thoreau and stated that, “As a… Continue reading
Raising Taxes to Pay for War?
Over at liberal blogging haven Daily Kos, Jon Parr has suggested the old chestnut that if all those Congresspeople want war (this time, with Iran), maybe they should propose a tax increase to pay for it. Maybe then, the argument goes, both Congresspeople and Americans can see the great cost of war. As we saw… Continue reading
Ways to Deal with the IRS
While it would be great if we could have conversations with the DoD or Pentagon directly, for many war tax resisters our primary government contact is with the IRS. Beginning with the choice of whether or not to file an income tax return for Tax Day, our choice of resistance tactics can affect the type… Continue reading
99 Tactics of Successful Tax Resistance Campaigns
“The heart of any tax resistance campaign is the resisters themselves. A successful campaign does what it can to encourage, support, and sustain these resisters and to facilitate their resistance.” -David Gross, 99 Tactics of Successful Tax Resistance Campaigns NWTRCC network member David Gross has been working for several months on a book about tactics… Continue reading
Conscientious objectors needed now more than ever
by Ken Butigan originally published December 19, 2013 in Waging Nonviolence republished under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license In our present age of permanent war, it is almost impossible to recall a time when armed conflicts clearly began and ended. In that ancient, bygone era — say, before 2003 — one could judiciously ruminate… Continue reading
“This is a fundraising [blog post], and it’s about money.”
“Most fundraising letters get around to revealing that they’re about money by the end, but as you read them you can sense a certain uneasiness, as if the writer weren’t comfortable saying, “we’re asking you to contribute some money.” This one will be different, because I’m entirely comfortable in saying that. (So, for the record:… Continue reading
Watch Out for Tax “Help” Scams
There are lots of ’em. Many fly-by-night companies comb the public records for tax liens and then by mail or telephone offer to “help with your debt.” Some do their best to masquerade as the IRS, with official looking mailings or official sounding names. A call came recently to a war tax resister in New… Continue reading
“Sick of Paying for Your Wars”
How very strange that we—myself, partner Ed, and friends and fellow resisters Liz and Kevin— first saw this graffiti as we were driving home from a memorial for Sallie Marx. It would have been an eerie coincidence, except that it was also great to happen onto this expression of frustration and defiance from someone unknown… Continue reading
Practical Reminders for War Tax Resistance at the End of the Tax Year
It’s time to take stock of your current war tax resistance strategy and prepare for any changes you want to make in the New Year. Are you new to the concept of war tax resistance, and not sure how to get started? Read this list of small ways to start WTR, and see which one(s)… Continue reading
Choosing solidarity over comfort
NWTRCC’s December/January newsletter has a lot of great content, including this autobiographical profile from Ruby Phillips: “Time passes quickly, and it’s now been 30 years that I’ve refused to pay for U.S. military wars. I began to resist after a local war tax resistance volunteer attended a meeting at my workplace and introduced us to… Continue reading
Grateful
Thanksgiving is a complex holiday, in its celebration of the pilgrims who spurred colonization of the already-occupied North American continent, and in its urging for us all to take stock of what we are glad to have in our lives. Here’s what some war tax resisters have expressed gratitude for over the years: “I am… Continue reading
Energized in NYC
November 1-3 was National War Tax Resistance’s semiannual gathering, held this time in Manhattan, New York. We were hosted by Maryhouse Catholic Worker and Sixth Street Community Center, as well as for our Saturday dinner in Brooklyn by Ruth Benn, NWTRCC coordinator, and Ed Hedemann. As usual, it was energizing and cheering to be with… Continue reading
