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Tax resistance |
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Conscientious objection to military taxation |
| Literature & Film |
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An Act of Conscience |
| Organizations |
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Association of Real Estate Taxpayers |
| Campaigns |
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Beit Sahour |
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Civil disobedience |
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A tax resister resists or refuses payment of a tax because of opposition to the institution collecting the tax, or to some of that institution’s policies. Conscientious objection to military taxation (COMT is a legal theory (with at least one historical precedent that attempts to extend into the realm of taxation the concessions to Tax resistance has probably existed as long as those in a position of power have imposed taxes The Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act is legislation proposed in the United States Congress that would legalize a form of Conscientious objection to military taxation An Act of Conscience is a 1997 documentary film by Robbie Leppzer about the war Tax resistance of Randy Kehler and Betsy Corner and years-long Civil Disobedience ( Resistance to Civil Government) is an essay by Henry David Thoreau that was first published in 1849 The Cold War and the Income Tax A Protest is a book written by Edmund Wilson and published in 1963. The Association of Real Estate Taxpayers (ARET was an organization of real-estate taxpayers in Chicago and Cook County Illinois. The National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund (NCPTF is a Non-profit organization located in Washington D The National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC — pronounced “new-trick” is an American activist group that promotes Tax resistance as a way to protest Northern California War Tax Resistance (NCWTR is an activist group in the San Francisco bay area that promotes Tax resistance as a way to protest against and/or disassociate The Pagal Panthis were a socio-religious order that emerged in the late 18th century CE in the Mymensingh region of Bengal (now located in Bangladesh Peacemakers was an American Pacifist organization The name of the group is taken from a section of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the peacemakers for Beit Sahour (بيت ساحور pronounced) is a Palestinian town administered by the Palestinian Authority, situated to the east of Bethlehem. The first Satyagraha revolutions inspired by Mahatma Gandhi in the Indian Independence Movement occurred in Kheda district of Gujarat The Gaspée Affair was a significant event in the American Revolution. The Salt Satyagraha was a campaign of non-violent protest against the British salt tax in colonial India which began with the Salt March to Dandi on March 12 1930 The Vyborg Appeal (also known as the Vyborg Manifesto; Выборгское Воззвание was a declaration issued by Kadets and Laborist The War of the Regulation (or the Regulator Movement was a North Carolina uprising lasting from approximately 1764 to 1771, where mostly lower class citizens Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain Laws demands and commands of a Government, or of an occupying power, without resorting to physical A conscientious objector (CO is an individual who on religious moral or ethical grounds refuses to participate as a combatant in war or in some cases to take any role that would support In Finance and Economics, divestment or divestiture is the reduction of some kind of Asset for either financial goals or ethical objectives Economic secession is a term that John T Kennedy introduced to refer to a Libertarian / Anarchist activist technique Nonviolent resistance (or nonviolent action) is the practice of achieving socio-political goals through Symbolic Protests Civil disobedience, " Render unto Caesar… " is the beginning of a phrase attributed to Jesus in the Synoptic gospels which reads in full “Render unto Caesar the things Tax avoidance is the legal utilization of the Tax regime to one's own advantage in order to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law The Often tax resistance has come from pacifists, conscientious objectors or members of religious groups, such as the Quakers, who choose not to fund violent government activities. A conscientious objector (CO is an individual who on religious moral or ethical grounds refuses to participate as a combatant in war or in some cases to take any role that would support A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos It has also been a technique used by nonviolent resistance movements, such as India’s campaign for independence led by Mahatma Gandhi. Nonviolent resistance (or nonviolent action) is the practice of achieving socio-political goals through Symbolic Protests Civil disobedience, India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી moɦən̪d̪äs kəɾəmʧən̪d̪ gän̪d̪ʱi (2 October 1869 – 30 January
Unlike tax protesters who deny that the legal obligation to pay taxes exists or applies, tax resisters typically recognize that the law commands them to pay taxes but still choose to resist taxation. The
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History of tax resistance
Motives
Tax resisters are typically motivated by disagreement with the policies of the government or institution that is collecting the tax. Tax resistance has probably existed as long as those in a position of power have imposed taxes For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. This may include opposing that government or institution entirely, and not just specific policies (for instance, Gandhi’s opposition to British Imperial rule).
Anarchists who resist taxes oppose anybody or any institution that demands tribute. Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Christian anarchists in the pacifist tradition resist taxes that fund a violent civil defence force or military. Christian anarchism is any of several traditions which combine Anarchism with Christianity. Some people suggest that a right to deny tax payments is in the spirit of democracy, giving people a veto right and forcing government spending to be done with the consent of the governed. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system A veto, Latin for "I forbid" is used to Denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a certain piece of Legislation.
What a tax resister hopes to accomplish may be personal or political or some combination of those two. Some tax resisters want to “wash their hands” of complicity in immoral government policies by not contributing to funding them. Hand washing is the act of cleansing the Hands with Water or another Liquid, with or without the use of Soap or other Detergents Some resist taxes as a form of protest that communicates the strength of their opposition through an act of civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain Laws demands and commands of a Government, or of an occupying power, without resorting to physical Some see tax resistance as a form of nonviolent political force – cutting off funds from the government as part of a campaign to force concessions from that government or to cause it to relinquish control. Nonviolent resistance (or nonviolent action) is the practice of achieving socio-political goals through Symbolic Protests Civil disobedience,
Methods
There are many methods of tax resistance. In war-tax resistance circles in the United States it is sometimes remarked that there are as many ways to practice tax resistance as there are resisters. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
Redirection
Some tax resisters refuse to pay all or a portion of the taxes due, but make an equivalent donation to charity. In this way, they demonstrate that the intent of their resistance is not selfish and that they want to use a portion of their earnings to contribute to the common good.
For instance, Julia Butterfly Hill resisted about $150,000 in federal taxes, and donated that money to after school programs, arts and cultural programs, community gardens, programs for Native Americans, alternatives to incarceration, and environmental protection programs. She said:
I actually take the money that the IRS says goes to them and I give it to the places where our taxes should be going. The And in my letter to the IRS I said: “I’m not refusing to pay my taxes. I’m actually paying them but I’m paying them where they belong because you refuse to do so. ”[1]
Groups like the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund (United States), Peace Tax Seven (United Kingdom), Netzwerk-Friedenssteuer (Germany), and Conscience and Peace Tax International work to legalize a form of conscientious objection to military taxation which would enable conscientious objectors to designate their taxes to be spent only on non-military budget items. The National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund (NCPTF is a Non-profit organization located in Washington D Conscientious objection to military taxation (COMT is a legal theory (with at least one historical precedent that attempts to extend into the realm of taxation the concessions to [2] They see this as a legalized form of war tax redirection.
Refusing specific taxes
Some resisters resist only certain taxes, either because those taxes are especially noxious to them, or because they present a useful symbolic target, or because they are more easily resisted.
For instance, in the United States, many war tax resisters resist the telephone federal excise tax. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The federal telephone excise tax is a statutory federal excise tax imposed under the Internal Revenue Code in the United States under on amounts paid for certain The tax was initiated to pay for the Spanish-American War and has frequently been raised or extended by the government during times of war. This made it an attractive symbolic target as a “war tax”. A war tax stamp is a type of Postage stamp added to an envelope in addition to regular postage Such refusal is relatively safe: because this tax is typically small, resistance very rarely triggers significant government retaliation. Phone companies will cooperate with such resisters by removing the excise tax from their phone bills and reporting their resistance to the government. [3]
Refusing to pay
The most dramatic and characteristic method of tax resistance is to refuse to pay a tax – either by quietly ignoring the tax bill or by openly declaring the refusal to pay.
Some tax resisters resist only a portion of the taxes due. For instance, some war tax resisters refuse to pay a percentage of their taxes equivalent to the military percentage of the government’s budget.
Other resisters withhold a symbolic amount – for instance, in the United States, some might hold back $17. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 76/17. 76% (symbolic of the revolutionary year 1776) or $10. Year 1776 ( MDCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a 40/10. 4% (in tribute to Form 1040, which is used in federal income tax returns). Tax forms in the United States are used by taxpayers and tax-exempt organizations to report financial information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS
Paying under protest
Some taxpayers pay their taxes, but include protest letters along with their tax forms. Others pay in a protesting form – for instance, by writing their check on a toilet seat or a mock-up of a missile. A toilet seat is the seat and lid of a Toilet bowl. It consists of the seat itself which is contoured for the user to sit on the toilet and the lid which covers Others pay in a way that creates inconvenience for the collector – for instance, by paying the entire amount in low-denomination coins.
Tax avoidance
A resister may lower the tax due by using legal tax avoidance techniques. Tax avoidance is the legal utilization of the Tax regime to one's own advantage in order to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law
Tax evasion
A resister may lower the tax due through illegal tax evasion. Tax avoidance is the legal utilization of the Tax regime to one's own advantage in order to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law For instance, one way to avoid the income tax is to participate in the underground economy – earning money that is never declared to the government.
Reducing expenditure and income
Other tax resisters change their lives and lifestyles so that they owe less tax. For instance; to avoid an excise tax on alcohol, a resister might home-brew beer; to avoid excise taxes on gasoline, a resister might take up bicycling; to avoid income tax, a resister might decide to take in less income and take up a simple living or freegan lifestyle; and so forth. Homebrewing typically refers to the Brewing of Beer and similar Alcoholic beverages (and sometimes soft drinks on a very small scale as a Hobby Vehicular cycling, or VC, is the practice of Driving Bicycles on Roads in a manner that is visible predictable and in accordance with the principles Simple living (or voluntary simplicity) is a lifestyle individuals choose to minimize the 'more-is-better' pursuit of Wealth and consumption. Freeganism is an anti-consumerist lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on "limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption
These methods differ from tax evasion in that they stay within the tax laws, and they differ from tax avoidance in that the goal is to pay as little tax as possible rather than to keep as much post-tax income as possible. Tax avoidance is the legal utilization of the Tax regime to one's own advantage in order to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law Tax avoidance is the legal utilization of the Tax regime to one's own advantage in order to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law
Arguments for tax resistance
There are a variety of arguments made for tax resistance. Some of the arguments are as follows:
- The government has no legitimate claim to the fruits of one’s labor and so taxation is tantamount to theft or slavery. In Criminal law, theft (also known as stealing or filching) is the illegal taking of another person's Property without that person's freely-given As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another
- The government engages in immoral, unethical and destructive activities, such as war or capital punishment, and paying taxes inevitably funds these activities. War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment.
- The government is non-legitimate i. e. the rulers did not come to power in a legitimate manner.
- The government regime in power is corrupt, serving mainly their own needs and wants.
- The size and scope of government has reached levels far beyond that required of the state.
- The wealthy, or those in power, do not pay their "fair share. "
- The government is inefficient and wasteful, providing inadequate return on the tax collected.
- The destitute should be helped through voluntary giving and charities, not funds obtained from compulsory taxation.
- Individuals who chose to take nothing out of the government system (no state education, pension, healthcare or police protection, for example) need not pay into the system.
- Some taxpayers are non-citizens and are therefore subject to taxation without having a voice in the government (taxation without representation)
Arguments against tax resistance
Many arguments can be made against the tactic of tax resistance. Most basic, of course, is from those who support the entity collecting the tax and feel that other people should as well. But even those who are sympathetic with the tax resister’s complaints may question the methods. Some common arguments against tax resistance are:
- In a constitutional democracy, everybody is equal before the law and nobody has the right to pick and choose which law to follow and which to ignore, because (s)he personally disagrees with it.
- If taxes are left unpaid, the government will take the money from someone else, which is unfair to them.
- Individuals who evade taxes are free riders, benefiting from government services like road infrastructure and security without paying their share of the bill. In Economics, Collective bargaining, Psychology and Political science, "free riders" are those who consume more than their fair share of a resource
- Tax resistance is too passive and ineffective a way to gain political change. As of 2006, a third of those Americans who file tax returns and 41% of all Americans, pay no federal income tax. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Lucky duckies is a term that was used in Wall Street Journal editorials starting on 20 November 2002 to refer to Americans who pay [4] If the U. S. government can thrive with so many people avoiding the income tax, it would require an unlikely number of tax resisters to have any effect, either as a protest or as an actual curb on government policy.
- The government responds to tax resisters by assessing fines, interest, and/or penalties against them, which may mean they end up with more money in the end.
Notable tax resisters
- See also: Category:Tax resisters
Quotations
| “ | Withholding payment of taxes is one of the quickest methods of overthrowing a government. | ” |
| “ | He or she who supports a State organized in the military way – whether directly or indirectly – participates in the sin. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી moɦən̪d̪äs kəɾəmʧən̪d̪ gän̪d̪ʱi (2 October 1869 – 30 January Each man old or young takes part in the sin by contributing to the maintenance of the State by paying taxes. | ” |
| “ | I have heard some of my townsmen say, “I should like to have them order me out to help put down an insurrection of the slaves, or to march to Mexico, – see if I would go;” and yet these very men have each, directly by their allegiance, and so indirectly, at least, by their money, furnished a substitute. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી moɦən̪d̪äs kəɾəmʧən̪d̪ gän̪d̪ʱi (2 October 1869 – 30 January The soldier is applauded who refuses to serve in an unjust war by those who do not refuse to sustain the unjust government which makes the war… | ” |
| “ | If only each King, Emperor, and President understood that his work of directing armies is not an honourable and important duty, as his flatterers persuade him it is, but a bad and shameful act of preparation for murder – and if each private individual understood that the payment of taxes wherewith to hire and equip soldiers, and, above all, army-service itself, are not matters of indifference, but are bad and shameful actions by which he not only permits but participates in murder – then this power of Emperors, Kings, and Presidents, which now arouses our indignation… would disappear of itself. | ” |
| “ | Let them march all they want, as long as they continue to pay their taxes. Leo Tolstoy, or Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy ( –) (Лев Никола́евич Толсто́й, was a Russian Writer widely regarded | ” |
See also
Notes
- ^ Smith, Gar "An Interview with Julia Butterfly Hill: Part 1" The Edge 26 May 2005[1]
- ^ “The Mission of the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund”[2]; Peace Tax Seven; Netzwerk-Friedenssteuer; Conscience and Peace Tax International
- ^ “Not paying phone tax becomes war protest” San Francisco Chronicle 4 December 2005
- ^ Hodge, S. Alexander Meigs Haig Jr (born December 2 1924 is a retired four-star General in the United States Army who served as the U " Render unto Caesar… " is the beginning of a phrase attributed to Jesus in the Synoptic gospels which reads in full “Render unto Caesar the things In Economics, tax incidence is the analysis of the effect of a particular Tax on the distribution of economic welfare. A tax revolt is a political struggle to repeal limit or roll back a government-imposed Tax. “Number of Americans Paying Zero Federal Income Tax Grows to 43. 4 Million” The Tax Foundation 30 March 2006[3]
External links
- What is War Tax Resistance? from the American advocacy group NWTRCC
- History of War Tax Resistance by War Resisters League (U. The National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC — pronounced “new-trick” is an American activist group that promotes Tax resistance as a way to protest S. focus)
- History of War Tax Resistance by Peace Tax Seven (U. S. /UK focus)
- Conscience and Military Tax Campaign Escrow Account for Resisted War Taxes.
- Resistance to Civil Government by Henry David Thoreau
- Silence and Courage: Income Taxes, War and Mennonites 1940-1993
- The Tax Resistance League — tax resistance in the women's suffrage movement
- The Theory, Practice & Influence of Thoreau's Civil Disobedience by Lawrence Rosenwald
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