Our Tax Money, Our Choice
"What would you do if someone came to your door with a cup in hand asking for a contribution to help buy guns and kill a group of people they didn't like?"It is impossible to conduct modern warfare without soldiers and weapons. But before governments can buy weapons and hire soldiers, they must first raise the necessary money. That's where our taxes come in. "The two decisive powers of the government with respect to war are the power to conscript and the power to tax," A. J. Muste once observed. In this era of high-priced weapons systems and military aid to regional wars, taxation is the closest war-making link between the government and most citizens. War tax resistance represents a direct way to say "NO!" to military programs, which cost U.S. taxpayers approximately $350 billion annually. War tax resistance is a powerful way to say "NO!" to nuclear weapons and weapons testing, military aid and arms sales. the Star Wars missile defense system, covert CIA violence -- to say "NO!" to the militarization of the U.S. federal budget. Through war tax resistance you control how your money is spent.
What About the "Good" Parts of the Budget?
Often people are concerned that by not paying federal taxes they will also be withdrawing their support for human services programs like food stamps, housing, education and public transportation. Therefore, some people withhold only the percentage of their tax money that goes to the military. But the government does not allow you to designate the purpose for which your tax money is used. A percentage of whatever you pay will be used for military expenditures.
One way to gain control of your tax money is not to voluntarily submit it to the government. Most war tax resisters redirect their tax money (both the military and non-military portions) to programs that meet human needs. By doing so, more money goes directly to socially useful than by paying through the tax system.
