By Ruth Benn
Editor's note: There are two articles plus a timeline on
the telephone excise tax in this issue. Readers are invited
to send their own stories on phone tax resistance and/or comments
on the repercussions of the end of the tax to NWTRCC for our
next issue. The deadline is September 5.
The Treasury Department announced May 25, 2006, that as of
July 31, 2006, the federal excise tax would no longer apply
to long distance bills, including on cell phones, mixed local
and long distance services, and internet phone service. However,
the tax will remain on local phone service until Congress passes
legislation to abolish it.
Taxpayers who have paid the federal excise tax on long distance
service will be able to claim a refund for the last three years
on their 2006 tax forms (filed by April 16, 2007). The IRS is
working on a simplified refund system, which will include interest.
The three-year limit is based on the tax-related statute of
limitations.
Beginning in 2004, the IRS had lost several cases brought
to federal courts by large companies including American Bankers
Insurance Group, OfficeMax, Amtrak, Fortis, and Lexis, who argued
that the tax did not apply to their flat rate service. The courts
awarded refunds to these companies ranging from $360,000 to
$434,000, and the writing was on the wall for the IRS. Either
the legislation had to be rewritten or the tax needed to be
dropped. In 2000 Congress had voted to repeal the tax, but President
Clinton had other problems with the Treasury bill to which it
was attached and vetoed the whole package. Under these conditions,
Treasury could not assume that Congress would rewrite the legislation
and retain the tax.
The Tax on Local Calls
On June 28, 2006, the Senate Finance Committee approved unanimously
legislation that would repeal the federal excise tax on all telephone
serv ice. The Telephone Excise Tax Repeal Act of 2005, S.1321,
has moved out of committee to the full Senate for a vote.
However, attached to the repeal bill is S. 832, The Taxpayer
Protection and Assistance Act of 2005, which includes many other
modifications to the tax code. Of particular interest to WTRs,
S. 832 includes a request to increase the frivolous fine from
$500 to $5,000. There are also increases in penalties related
to statements involving fraud, and proposals to increase funding
for promoting electronic filing. If the package passes we'll
report on this further in future issues of this newsletter.
Senator Rick Santorum is a sponsor of S.1321, and his website
expresses his hope that the repeal will pass before the August
recess. Therefore, at the time of this writing we are not sure
when/if the local tax will end; the repeal takes effect 90 days
after the bill's approval.
As to Those Refunds
The refund will only apply to taxes paid on long distance service;
the local tax was not part of the court cases that ordered refunds.
Businesses and corporations will see the biggest return, of course,
but readers who file and have been paying the federal excise tax
on long distance service (yes, we know you are out there!) might
just as well apply for that refund. And if you find yourself in
a financial place where you can turn around and give that refund
to an organization you love, please consider NWTRCC or your local
WTR group as a potential recipient.
Taking credit for the end of this antiquated tax is stretching
it, but our resistance may well have played a part in the desire
of telecommunications companies to lobby for an end to the tax.
Although its removal has no effect on cutting the military budget
or ending war, we know that over the past 40 years of telephone
tax resistance, a lot of workers at telephone companies have
learned about people who refuse to pay for war, some wonderful
letters have been sent to the IRS about the phone tax, and some
great public protests were held when the IRS seized bikes, cars,
and houses for unpaid phone tax.
Telephone Excise Tax Timeline
1898-Temporary tax on telephone toll (long distance) services
adopted to help fund the Spanish-American War.
1902-Tax repealed.
1914-Long distance "luxury" telephone tax imposed to help pay
for some of the costs of WWI.
1916-Tax expired.
1917-Tax reinstated once U.S. enters the war.
1919-Tax expanded to cover additional telephone services.
1924-Tax repealed.
1932-Tax reinstated, but set to expire in 1934.
1933-1940-Tax is regularly extended.
1941-Tax applied to local service for the first time (6%).
1942-1953-Tax continued; fluctuates from 20-25%
1954-1964-Tax rate reduced to 10%; expiration delayed annually.
1965-Tax reduced to 3%; scheduled for phase-out over three years.
1966-Phase-out delayed for one year. Chairman of the House Ways
and Means Committee Wilbur
Mills states, "It is clear that Vietnam
and only the Vietnam operation makes this bill necessary."
-Doris Sargent writes letter to Peacemaker
suggesting resisting the phone tax. (April 2)
-Chicago WTR Karl Meyer writes the
brochure "Hang Up on War";
-WRL launches first telephone tax
resistance campaign.
1968-Phase-out restructured to conclude in 1973.
-Telephone tax resistance case of
Martha Tranquilli leads to ruling that phone service may not be
disconnected for nonpayment of federal tax.
1970-10-year phase-out plan scheduled to begin in 1973.
1971-Lillian and George Willoughby's VW bug auctioned by IRS for
$123 in telephone tax. (PA)
1972-Telephone war tax resisters number up to 500,000.
-David Janzen's car auctioned for
$31.32 unpaid phone tax. (KS)
1973-Phase-out begins.
-IRS attempts to seize a house in
Colorado Springs for $7 in unpaid phone tax, but backs off.
-IRS auctions Jim Glock's bicycle
for $22 telephone tax. (TX)
1981-Excise tax down to 1% but elimination deferred.
1982-1989-Tax rate increased to 3% and regularly extended.
-Interest in telephone tax resistance
rises as Reagan military budget increases.
1990-3% excise tax made permanent in 1990.
2000-Congress votes to repeal the tax, but full tax bill vetoed
by President Clinton.
2003-Online Hang Up On War campaign begins.
2006-Long distance telephone tax ends on July 31, 2006.
-Legislation introduced in Congress
to repeal the federal excise tax on all telephone service.
Sources: Congressional Research Service report by Louis
Alan Talley, (1/4/2001), and War Tax Resistance, published by
the War Resisters League. A more detailed timeline is posted
on www.hanguponwar.org.
[Return to List of Headlines]
By Larry Dansinger
The news of the end of the federal excise tax on phone bills
(long distance now, probably local bills later this year) seems
to be a time of elation for war tax resisters. But to me it
is a mixed blessing. Here are a few downsides to this otherwise
happy turn of events.
Doing phone tax resistance was an easy way for WTRs to get
their feet wet with little risk. It gave them a chance to "test
the waters" and see how a little civil disobedience felt before
taking a larger step of withholding part or all of their income
tax or changing their lives in other ways to live below taxable
level or be less collectable.
Not every swimmer is ready to jump head-long into stormy seas
or a cold lake. Some wade in slowly, as phone tax resisters
have done. Even our courageous NWTRCC coordinator, Ruth Benn,
noted that her first brush with WTR was through the phone tax.
The WTR movement will need to have a less risky form of WTR
(for example, withholding $10.40 from a return or using the
Peace Tax Return) for those who don't want to go all the way
the first time.
Who benefits most and least from the elimination of this tax?
(We should ask this question for every government policy!) First
and foremost, the large telecom companies, who probably did
a lot of lobbying to get the tax ended, are winners. Next are
the big corporations who ran up big bills and could not write
off all of them on corporate tax returns. Farther down the list
are small businesses, the wealthy, and the middle class, who
are likely greater phone users. Finally, a little money may
trickle down to lower income people who make fewer long distance
calls, and there will be no benefit to WTRs and those who don't
make enough to file returns.
The New York Times article (May 26, 2006) suggested that the
tax elimination will cost the U.S. treasury about $13 billion.
While this amount is peanuts compared to what the Pentagon spends,
it could make a huge difference in the human well-being programs
that are most likely to be cut as a result of this budget hole.
The phone tax originally was intended to apply only to those
wealthy enough to own telephones. I hope the final elimination
of this tax will encourage us to think not only about how to
continue refusing to pay war taxes, but also how our tax system
can become much more progressive. Taxes that especially impact
the rich and large corporations are disappearing. The wealthy
(individuals and corporations) get many more tax benefits per
dollar paid than lower income people do. Real fairness means
that they should pay much more than they are paying now.
Larry Dansinger staffs Resources for Organizing and Social
Change (ROSC) and the Maine War Tax Resistance Resource Center.
[Return to List of Headlines]
By Bill Ramsey
Could war tax refusal offer the present peace movement a tool
of nonviolent resistance to the perpetual war strategy? Is it
possible for a broader spectrum of war opponents to engage in
some form of war tax resistance? Would large numbers participate
in a one year commitment to war tax refusal? Could successive
one-year boycotts be fashioned into waves of resistances?
These are some of the questions we hoped to answer when last
fall's Strategy Conference decided to conduct a survey of WTRs
and war opponents. We have designed three questionnaires to
reach those presently engaged in WTR; those who did WTR at one
time, but no longer do; and those who have never done WTR. The
questionnaire for those presently engaged is enclosed, and all
three are available on the NWTRCC website or from the NWTRCC
office.
We want to hear from the broadest spectrum of activists possible.
Based on the results of the questionnaire NWTRCC will revise
old resources and create new ones to address the obstacles that
the survey uncovers. We could launch an initial wave of new
war tax resistance focused on Tax Day 2007, once we see if proposing
the one-year commitment might create a new and larger pool of
resisters.
We are asking local groups to circulate the surveys between
now and November 1 at meetings and events, and be sure to link
to the online versions on your websites. In September respondents
will be able to access a fill-in form online. You'll be surprised
at how interest in the questionnaire leads to fresh conversations
about war tax resistance. And, don't forget to fill one out
yourself!
Download the survey from the NWTRCC website (http://www.nwtrcc.org/latest.htm),
or contact the NWTRCC office if you would like us to send you
bulk copies of the survey (a donation for postage will help).
If you copy them yourself, color-coding by the paper color
is encouraged: Blue = "Presently Engaged"; Pink = "Once Did";
Yellow = "Never Done"
Bill Ramsey is coordinating the Survey/One- Year Campaign
committee. He operates The Human Rights Action Service and works
with the St. Louis Covenant Community of War Tax Resisters.
[Return to List of Headlines]
Telephone Tax Resistance
Many people are contacting the NWTRCC office to ask whether they
should continue resisting the tax on local service. As with all
WTR, this is a personal choice. Certainly many will continue to
resist as long as the tax is applied and pays into the general
fund. It remains a very resist-able tax. NWTRCC will maintain
the Hang Up On War website, http://www.hanguponwar.org, with updated
information at least until further discussion at our next Coordinating
Committee meeting in November. In the meantime, we will endeavor
to produce a flyer that will replace our telephone tax brochure
to explain the new situation.
Supreme Court on Property Seizures
In our counseling sessions recently we have talked about the fact
that the IRS only has to mail its warning notices to meet the
guidelines of informing a taxpayer before taking further action
toward collection. Interestingly, on April 26, 2006, the Supreme
Court led by Chief Justice John Roberts ruled that the state of
Arkansas "violated a homeowner's right to due process when it
sold his house for nonpayment of taxes after sending two certified
letters that came back 'unclaimed.'" (NY Times, April 27, 2006)
The 5-to-3 majority said that the state must take "additional
reasonable steps" before taking the extraordinary measure of seizing
a home, particularly because in this case the tax office knew
that the letters had been returned unclaimed. The decision in
this case, Jones v. Flowers (No. 04-1477), overturned a ruling
by the Supreme Court of Arkansas. The federal government had entered
the case on the side of the state of Arkansas, so the Roberts'
court showed some independence in its majority opinion. This case
doesn't necessarily mean a change in our general counseling or
presentations, but it might apply in some specific situations.
[Return to List of Headlines]
We are grateful for the contributions, redirections, and affiliate
fees from these groups:
Christian Peacemaker Teams, IL
Christians for Peace, VA
Fools of Conscience, NC
Conscience, Militarism, and War Tax Concerns, Philadelphia
Yearly Meeting
National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund, DC
NYC People's Life Fund
Pioneer Valley War Tax Resistance, MA
S. Arizona WTR
War Resisters League, National Office, NY
Western Washington FOR
…and a Word on Giving
Tax deductible contributions: Many of you give through
our fiscal sponsors, ROSC in Maine and Resist in Massachusetts.
If you are writing a check it is best if you send it (made out
to either group) to the NWTRCC office. We then bundle them together
and send them on to the appropriate office. This helps with our
record keeping and assures that the small staffs at Resist and
ROSC attribute the contributions properly.
Online giving: It is possible to give directly to NWTRCC
on our website (not tax deductible). There is a PayPal link
on our Contact/Donations page. In addition, tax deductible contributions
can be made through Resist on the same web page. The "Give to
NWTRCC through Resist" purple button takes you directly to their
online giving system, CommunityRoom.net. In the space for comments,
specify that the contribution is for NWTRCC. By using this system
there are no extra fees taken out of your payment (beyond Resist's
standard 5% processing fee). However, if you were to use a program
such as Network for Good to give to Resist for NWTRCC, Network
for Good takes an additional fee from your contribution - and
it confuses the folks at Resist, because it is as convoluted
as this sentence! ?
[Return to List of Headlines]
Legislative News
Changes at NCPTF
Welcome to Alan Gamble, the new executive director of the National
Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund, based in Washington, DC. Alan leaves
his position as a faculty member at Jackson Community College
in Michigan, where he was a Congressional District Contact for
the PTF and was a contact on the NWTRCC network list. We look
forward to working with him in this new capacity.
Marian Franz retired from the executive director position
earlier this year after 23 years of tireless work toward the
passage of the legislation, now called the Religious Freedom
Peace Tax Fund Bill. Marian will stay involved with the campaign
as a lobbyist. In addition, we send our good wishes to Tim Godshall,
who has moved on from the NCPTF staff after three years, including
serving as interim director over the past few months.
[Return to List of Headlines]
41% Might Withhold Taxes
If you read AOL's online version of USA Today's April 14, 2006,
article on war tax resisters, you might have noticed the little
poll that accompanied the article. Here's what it looked like
a couple months after it was first posted: Would you ever withhold
taxes to protest a government policy?
| Never |
54% |
| I might |
41% |
| I already have |
5% |
| Total Votes: |
3,777 |
Of course, the poll results are not scientific. It was possible
to vote as many times as you wanted, and the poll reflects the
opinions of only those users who chose to participate. Nevertheless,
we WTRs have the task of finding the "mights" who are out there
and making sure they have the information to become "already
haves." (You can find the USA Today article on NWTRCC's website,
under the tax day reports on the Latest News page.)
WTR Online
The on-line, collaborative encyclopedia known as "Wikipedia" is
an increasingly important source of information on topics of all
sorts. It has a section on "tax resistance" and also sections
on a number of related topics (including NWTRCC). These sections
can all use improvement, of the sort that MTAP readers can provide.
To learn more about Wikipedia and how to add and improve its content,
see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Introduction.
It's easy to search on topics to find items related to WTR. (Dave
Gross)
…Check out the new-in-2006 resource page on war tax resistance
on the Mennonite Central Committee's website. It's at: http://www.mcc.org/us/co/wartaxes/
and linked from the NWTRCC website Links page.
…Spanish speakers/readers might be interested in the websites
of an antimilitarist group from Madrid. See the sections on
Insumissia at http://www.antimilitaristas.org,
and peace education at http://www.educarueca.org.
…conscience, the Peace Tax Campaign in England has launched
a new - flashy - campaign with a great website, http://www.peacepays.org.
Look for the link to their PeacePays animation at http://www.conscienceonline.org.uk.
If you know a volunteer who can create a short, animated web
ad for us, please contact the NWTRCC office. ?
Write to Prisoners of Conscience
Joe Donato and Kevin McKee, members of the Restored Israel of
Yahweh community in New Jersey, are a few months into their 27-
and 24- month sentences respectively. Their Bible-study community
has long refused to participate in the federal tax system because
the money pays for military violence. The government seemed to
target Joe and Kevin as owners of a small construction business,
along with Joe's wife Inge, who occasionally helped out with the
bookkeeping. Inge completed a 6-month sentence in February.
Please send letters of support:
Joseph Donato
#40884-050
FCI Fairton-Satellite camp
PO Box 420
Fairton, NJ 08320
Kevin McKee
#40886-050
FPC Schuylkill
PO Box 700
Minersville, PA 17954
WTR Robin Hoods
As part of their 2006 tax day actions, Northern California War
Tax Resistance held a potluck and granting ceremony, splitting
$8,500 from the People's Life Fund among the following groups:
Freedom Archives for a multimedia accompaniment to the "La Lucha
Continua" mural; Charlotte Maxell Complementary Clinic to help
cover the costs of providing free complementary alternative medicine
and social services to low-income women with cancer; Gabriela
Network-S.F. Chapter to launch the GABNet School for Women; National
Boricua Human Rights Network to help cover the costs of an art
show about Puerto Rican Political Prisoners; Asian Community Mental
Health Services for their Youth Leadership Organization; People's
Grocery in support of the Urban Agriculture Program; Willard Gay
Straight Alliance to sponsor an event with keynote speaker Sylvia
Guerreo; Latino March for Peace; STARC toward the Summer Institute;
and NWTRCC.
Daryl Hannah and WTR
Here are the opening three paragraphs of an article in the Los
Angeles Times (Calendar section, 6/16/06) titled "What Sent Hannah
Up a Tree," about actress Daryl Hannah. She was arrested June
13 when sheriffs cleared out a 14-acre community farm to make
the land available to a developer:
She became a vegan at the age of 11 after she befriended a
little calf being hauled by a truck that was parked near a road.
The calf kissed her face for about an hour. When the truck driver
appeared, she asked him what the calf's name was. "Veal, tomorrow
morning at 7," he shot back.
At 12, she got into a big argument with her father because
she didn't want her taxes ever going to support war. He told
her that if she didn't pay taxes she'd go to jail.
The education of Daryl Hannah, activist, was under way.
This child's sentiment confirms what feminist/pacifist/essayist
Barbara Deming wrote about freedom: "It has never been grasped
once and for all by any people, as it has never been stifled
once and for all in any, since with every child born anywhere
in the world the appetite for it is born again." ("Letter to
WISP," 1963, published in Liberation magazine). The same thing
could be said as well about peace or about resistance to war.
It's nice to know that in peace work we have a partner somewhere
inside each person we're trying to contact.
-Joe Maizlish, Los Angeles
Stamp Tax
It's hard to keep up with all the ways that the nightmare war
in Iraq is effecting our lives and pocketbooks. An online article
from Wayne Madsen, a DC-based columnist, reported that the postal
increase to .39 and a possible .03 increase coming next year can
be traced directly to the war. The Bush administration has been
borrowing from the Postal Service Fund, a special account in the
Treasury Department, taking it quickly from a surplus into a debt
that now needs to be repaired by postage increases.
[Return to List of Headlines]
WTR Survey: Great for tabling!
Download the survey from the NWTRCC website (http://www.nwtrcc.org/latest.htm),
or contact the NWTRCC office if you would like us to send you
bulk copies of the survey (a donation for postage will help).
If you copy them yourself, color-coding by the paper color
is encouraged: Blue = "Presently Engaged"; Pink = "Once Did";
Yellow = "Never Done"
Aging and WTR
Practical War Tax Resistance #7
It really is in stock now! The booklet includes information
on health care, Medicare, Social Security, inheritances (giving
and getting), trusts, and saving for retirement. Sections offer
both factual write-ups and brief stories from resisters on the
creative ways they are dealing with these issues. In addition,
three resisters over 65 offer tips on housing and sources of
support for living well as the decades pile on.
Single copies-$1.65 (includes postage); affiliates' bulk
copies-.50 each plus postage. The booklet can also be downloaded
from the Publications page of the NWTRCC website.
Attract Attention with WTR Posters
The San Francisco Print Collective in conjunction with Northern
California War Tax Resistance has produced a series of nine handprinted,
silk screen color posters highlighting a variety of creative WTR
messages and images. They can be viewed on our website at http://www.nwtrcc.org/newposters06.htm,
or contact the office and we'll mail you a description and an
order form. An unnamed WTR organizer carried one of the posters
at a recent antiwar demonstration, and it attracted lots of attention.
A Message to Stick Around
The NWTRCC office has a few hundred stickers in stock with the
slogan "Your Tax Dollars Arm the World." They are yellow with
black text and graphic and approximately 2" x 3". Progressive
resource makers Donnelly-Colt had these hanging around so we bought
them at close-out prices. Use them on envelopes, flyers, as a
give-away, or to decorate some public spot of your choice.
Stickers are .15 each; $15/100 plus postage.
Order all the above from the NWTRCC office, PO Box 150553,
Brooklyn, NY 11215, (800) 269-7464, nwtrcc@nwtrcc.org,
or from our website, http://www.nwtrcc.org/publications.htm.
[Return to List of Headlines]
Fundraising News
….Eszter Freeman of Sonoma County Taxes for Peace has agreed to
take on the volunteer Fundraising Clerk position advertised in
our last issue. She finished a term on the Administrative Committee
in May, and we're glad that she'll continue to work with us in
this new position. If you have fundraising ideas, send them along
to the NWTRCC office, and we'll pass them on to Eszter. We could
especially use advice from anyone with expertise in funding film
projects. A committee is actively working on plans for a new outreach
film about WTR, a high priority expressed at last year's Strategy
Conference.
...Alabama activist Ashley Reynolds has offered to help NWTRCC
by making an afghan that can be auctioned off. She would like
readers to send her yarn to make this a WTR community project.
Send a skein of worsted weight yarn to Ashley Reynolds, 2310
Auburn DR SW, Decatur, AL 35603. ?
Las Vegas - from the Peace Perspective
Planning is just getting underway for the next NWTRCC Coordinating
Committee meeting, hosted by Las Vegas Catholic Worker, November
3-5. Our gatherings and meeting are open to all WTRs and interested
persons. The fall meeting is when we look over what we accomplished
(or missed out on) in the past year and outline objectives for
the coming year. Based on the objectives, we also pass a new budget
for NWTRCC's fiscal year, which begins each December 1. Along
with the business details we'll take some time to share what individuals
and groups have been doing, discuss the impact of the changes
in the telephone tax on our work, offer an introductory workshop
to newcomers, and hear from local peace activists about their
activities and priorities.
A meeting brochure should be ready by September. It will be
mailed to the Network List, which includes groups, counselors,
and area contacts. We will also mail it to people on our mailing
list in the southwest region and post it on the NWTRCC website,
http://www.nwtrcc.org/meetings.htm. See the website or contact
the NWTRCC office at 800-269-7464 if you would like to help
with planning for the Las Vegas gathering.
Help Spread the Word!
Are you planning to attend any of these events?
- Camp Democracy, September 5-21, on the Mall in Washington,
D.C (http://www.campdemocracy.org/)
- Stopping the Merchants of Death: A Strategic Conference
for Grassroots Activists, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, University of St.
Thomas, St. Paul, MN (http://www.warresisters.org/smod/smod_hp.shtml)
- Practicing and Promoting Peace in Perilous Times:
2006 Gandhi Conference, M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence,
October 13-14, Christian Brothers University, Memphis, TN,
(901-452-2824)
- Vigil to Close the SOA, November 17-19, 2006, Fort
Benning, Georgia (http://www.soaw.org/)
If so, please contact the NWTRCC office, 800-269-7464, nwtrcc@nwtrcc.org,
about helping with a literature table or passing out the WTR
Survey. If you are heading to another conference or action and
would like some war tax resistance materials to take along,
please let us know.
[Return to List of Headlines]
WTR Profiles
Stanley Bohn
The Why
As war tax resisters the why-we-do-it shapes the what-we-do. Since
our reasons for not paying part of our federal income tax are
not to avoid all taxes, my wife Anita and I use probably the least
clever ways to resist taxes. We reduce our taxable income by giving
as much as we can to charitable causes, fill out tax forms, and
send in about three-fourths of what we owe. The remaining $500
to $2,000 we send to antiwar groups, or aid to victims of war,
or agencies underfunded because the federal budget is lopsided
toward military spending.
Most Christians support war as necessary, so it may seem odd
that we resist war taxes because we are trying to live by the
spirit we see in Jesus. Our Christianity is the Martin Luther
King Jr. type. We don't try to make others believe what we do,
as if we know the truth and they don't. But we do try to let
anyone interested know what we try to live.
The What
So for the last 27 years, along with our income tax form, we send
a letter explaining what we live for and that we aren't keeping
the part of the tax we withhold. (Pastors can be self-employed
and not have taxes withheld by employers. So it is easier for
us to divert part of our federal taxes.) We divert it to agencies
that do more for people and our nation's reputation than military
solutions. We don't have a rigid formula of the amount to divert
from the IRS. We pay enough to support many good things our government
does, especially programs for rehabilitation and medical care
of veterans. Preparing federal tax forms enables us to easily
calculate state income taxes, which we want to pay.
We are probably seen as naïve Mennonites who live cloistered
lives out of touch with reality. But we are sufficiently in
touch with reality to explain that the military ventures in
Colombia, Middle East, Central America, covert CIA operations,
the missile defense system, and superpower bullying around the
world are harming our nation.
In our letters we explain we don't prefer such illegal action
each year, but the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Bill, allowing
conscientious objectors to war taxes to instead support health
and welfare programs, is stalled in Congress.
At times we have called an IRS 800 number to explain our actions
to the surprised but patient IRS employees. Some are sympathetic.
We care about the "why"; the IRS doesn't. They refer us to someone
else. We continue to get polite, impersonal, computer-generated
notices telling us we owe money, or offering an easy payment
plan, or threatening action against us, and even attempting
to have the church that employed me pay the IRS what we owe.
We answer every letter so the IRS may have a thick file of 3
or 4 letters a year for 27 years sharing the same convictions.
Eventually, after a year or two the IRS confiscates what we
owe, plus interest and penalty, from our bank account. We don't
hide our bank accounts as if we are in an adversarial game.
Since we retired they instead reduce our social security payments
until the government gets what we owe.
The Results
Is what we do worthwhile? With penalties and interest we pay more
than we would otherwise. We do it anyway. Citizens of THE superpower
can't ignore reality and should do what we can. But there are
useful results. When I was with a Christian Peacemaker Teams delegation
in the Middle East, people suffering from U.S. policies were encouraged
to hear about war tax resisters. It gave us more credibility that
we also "suffered" from U.S. policy. Paradoxically, our contacts
in Latin America admired a government that allows this kind of
dissent, not permitted in their countries. And also some local
charities with cutbacks in federal support were helped by tax
diversion. (However, the local newspaper would not cover the press
conference of our tax resisters group presenting checks of our
tax diverted funds to welfare agencies.)
What our family does made the local newspapers and generated
some heated criticisms and support for tax diversion. It raised
the issue in public, and some military veterans let us know
they supported what we do. When others seek ways to counter
this country's addiction to violent, self-destructive solutions,
we offer "tax diversion" as a way of refusing to be co-dependent
for the addicted.
We are using our annual dilemma of violating the tax laws
as reason for our city council to copy the city council of Providence,
Rhode Island, which passed a resolution to support the Peace
Tax Fund legislation. Maybe such community action will get the
attention of our Kansas legislators who, unlike others, haven't
been moved to be co-sponsors of that bill.
The deepest motive for our activism is not to change our national
policies. That kind of motivation makes us too cynical and sees
others as evil obstacles instead of brothers and sisters caught
in security fears. Our national leaders are convinced they have
chosen the right way to security. We do tax diversion to point
to another way that makes us more human, no matter how foolish
this seems.
Stanley Bohn lives in Newton, Kansas, and is active with
the Heartland Peace Tax Fund. ?
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