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
Federal Income Tax
Dear Rick Steves – Could You Be a War Tax Resister?
I recently finished reading travel writer/TV show host Rick Steves‘ book Travel as a Political Act. Rick describes himself as an interesting blend of political perspectives: capitalist, Christian, proud American, supporter of marijuana legalization, and… a pacifist! In addition to his specialty helping US residents learn the ins and outs of traveling in Europe, he… Continue reading
The Snowden Model and Finding Our Power
I finally watched the film Citizenfour, about the release of the NSA documents by Edward Snowden. The whole film is impressive, but I was struck by this section where journalist Glenn Greenwald is asking Snowden about whether to release his name and ID him as the source of the documents. Greenwald wanted to make sure… Continue reading
Driving Ms. Frances
By Ralph Dolan I runs this high-end chauffeur service, see, and gets this call. Lady on the other end of the line wants a ride across the border into Vermont. Can’t get much of an idea what kind of meeting she could possibly be attending up there in the back woods. I pick her up… Continue reading
Does the Hobby Lobby decision matter to war tax resisters?
As we’ve mentioned before, we got a recording of Peter Goldberger’s talk on the Hobby Lobby decision from our November 2014 meeting. Now we also have a transcript, which I found absolutely necessary for following the course of Peter’s argument. It’s not an overly complex argument, but seeing it in writing helped me a lot…. Continue reading
Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Fukushima, and war taxes
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the US military’s nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, which killed as many as 150,000 people. On August 9, we recognize the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki, which killed as many as 70,000 people. Nuclear bombs were funded by US war taxes, coming from US taxpayers, and dropped by… Continue reading
“I just can’t pay for murdering other people” – Post-Tax Day News Roundup
Despite the media focus on the Fight for 15 minimum wage protests around the country on April 15, it seemed to me to be a good media day for war tax resistance too. New resisters announced their commitment, while long-time resisters continued to speak up in opposition to military spending, in support of redirecting tax… Continue reading
This Tax Day, A 23-Year-Old Refuses to Pay for War
by Sam Koplinka-Loehr, Philadelphia, PA Since I was born in 1991, the U.S. Government has been in a non-stop state of war, and has spent trillions of dollars on killing people overseas. As a young person growing up in the United States, I saw our schools faltering. I saw income inequality growing. I saw communities… Continue reading
Pi Day 2015: Getting Our Peace of the Pie
For math lovers, 3-14-15 holds special significance. It’s the annual Pi Day, but not just any Pi Day: “In the year 2015, Pi Day will have special significance on 3/14/15 at 9:26:53 a.m. and p.m., with the date and time representing the first 10 digits of π. That same second will also contain a precise… Continue reading
A Good Reason to Refuse to Pay War Taxes
Many of us got involved in war tax resistance because of nuclear weapons. For myself, I heard Dr. Helen Caldicott speak sometime back around 1980. She was passionate — and scary — about the dangers of nukes. The disaster at Three Mile Island led her to leave her medical career, become president of Physicians for… Continue reading
Is War Tax Resistance Elitist?
War tax resister David Gross recently appeared on the Litopia After Dark podcast (discussing some of his countercultural/culture-jamming activities in addition to tax resistance and his book, 99 Tactics of Successful Tax Resistance Campaigns). Co-host Peter Cox repeatedly stated that being a war tax resister was “elitist.” He even said, “Most people can’t do [war… Continue reading
Update on the Affordable Care Act as War Tax Redirection
by Robert Randall Note: This is a follow-up to Robert’s previous post from June 2014. Having now had a chance to further experience the Affordable Care Act (ACA, often called Obamacare) and see how it really works tax-wise, I wish to both correct some errors in my previous post and further expand on its potential… Continue reading
