Unpacking Pandora’s Box: The Tax Gift That Keeps On Giving
Recently there was a conversation about death and taxes on the radio. The conversation was in light of the recently released Pandora Papers, which exposed the hidden finances of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people. In October, the International Consortium of Investigative Reporters (ICIJ) released over 12 million troves of documents revealing how heads… Continue reading
On the Brink
People are rising up and demanding action on climate change and a new vision for the world. Tremendous sustained pressure is building on politicians to reset policy and save the planet. World leaders are set to attend the COP-26 Conference in Glasgow this week. Our collective action can tip the balance. Protest in the streets,… Continue reading
We Can All Say “No!”
“What we say to a society of murder and racism is a very simple no. What we say to our brothers across this country and around the world is a very simple word. That word is RESIST!” — David Harris, at a 1960s antiwar protest David Harris is one of the featured draft resisters and… Continue reading
Beauty Will Save the World
The National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee’s November Conference will kick off with a social hour to connect with folks in the network on November 5th. The full schedule is here as well as information on how to register. Saturday will feature a panel discussion with tax resisters from Europe including speakers from Money Rebellion,… Continue reading
Starting to Live by My Own Rules
By Angie Morben I’ve always been such a rule-follower. As I look back on life, I realize how much I blindly followed the rules simply because they had been established by some higher “authority.” I was that way throughout childhood and all the way into adulthood. This rule-following behavior included unquestionably paying my taxes without… Continue reading
Funding a Livable Future
By Sue Barnhart We woke up to black smoky air the day after Labor Day 2020. It was challenging to breathe outside, even with a N95 mask. We could not see the sun. The air quality index was over 500— the extremely hazardous range. Our beautiful Oregon was burning up. The trails we love hiking… Continue reading
Letter to IRS: Former State Department Worker Refuses to Pay for Killing Civilians
Dear friends at the IRS, I am withholding 20% of my taxes this year as I cannot morally or legally support the U.S. military’s indiscriminate killing of many thousands of innocent civilians, including several U.S. citizens, in recent years. The intentional killing of U.S. civilians (three in Yemen in Sept. 2011) “without due process of… Continue reading
War Tax Resistance, Self-Employment, and Health Insurance
By Ilene Roizman – December 2020 Decisions, Decisions It’s a thorny problem when the complications of obtaining health insurance intersect with the desire to remain a nonfiling tax resister. This is exactly where I found myself when my luck ran out on the premium tax credit. As a self-employed freelancer, I have to purchase my… Continue reading
Taxes, Relationships, and Competing Priorities
By Lindsey Britt – October 2021 Since I began thinking about war tax resistance I’ve been struggling with the desire to reduce my income to avoid paying taxes for things I find abhorrent and, simultaneously, wanting to transfer more of my power (in the form of money) to organizations and individuals doing good. My mind… Continue reading
I Act Out my Prayers by Saying “NO” to Paying for War
By Sylvia Shirk – August 2020 Tax Day, April 15, has become one of my favorite annual events. It is a day of peacemaker empowerment. I smile as I write checks and send online donations to support peace and justice organizations that I care about. I hum on my way to mail the United States… Continue reading
A Visit with IRS Revenue Officers Justin and Ryan
By Paula Rogge – December 2019 During the Vietnam War, I joined Friends (Quakers) and other peace activists at the Post Office on tax day to pass out War Resister League pie charts showing how much of our national budget was spent on war. In the late 1970’s, I heard Richard Catlett and Bruce Chrisman… Continue reading
An Interview with Suzanne Belote Shanley & Brayton Shanley
August, 2019. Earlier this year, Suzanne Belote Shanley & Brayton Shanley published a book about the history of the Agape Community, which they cofounded in 1982 in Ware, Massachusetts. The community is dedicated to prayer, voluntary simplicity, and gospel-centered nonviolent witness. War tax resistance has been a core aspect of the community from its founding…. Continue reading
