Everyone pays tax - income tax, VAT, fuel tax, road tax, national insurance, alcohol and tobacco tax all contribute to the military, and to many useful things as well, of course. Almost 10% of the tax you pay is destined to be used by the military.
On grounds of conscience some people withhold the military portion of their taxes until they have been assured that it will not be spent on the military. These conscientious objectors are war tax resisters. Most people are unable to be war tax resisters because all their tax is taken at source (income tax by PAYE). If you have to complete a tax return every year and want to withhold tax visit I refuse.
War tax resisters do not try to reduce the amount of tax they have to pay - they will pay if assured by the government it will not be spent on the military. So far the government have not given that assurance and prefers to let Inland Revenue take them to court. Read more about current legal action.
This civil disobedience is a nonviolent objection to financial conscription and an infringement of human rights. Those who withhold the military portion of their taxes, or try to divert it to better uses, are usually prosecuted and have the tax taken from them under protest. Very rarely a war tax resister is sent to prison.
does not encourage or expect members to withhold their taxes but supports those who resist war in this way. The irreconcilable conflict between obeying one's conscience and the present tax laws underlines the need for legislation.
In the U.K. it is difficult to avoid paying any taxes for war. Income is usually taxed before you receive it, through the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system. Most other taxes are also taken at source - VAT by shops etc. However, it is possible to refuse to pay tax on money not taxed at source, such as income from self-employment or a legacy. If you receive income which is not taxed at source and your conscience directs you not to pay for war read more in I refuse.
Some people have tried to pursue the issue of conscientious objection, or the illegality of funding nuclear weapons, with the Inland Revenue. Sooner or later they receive an ultimatum to pay up or face the penalties. Some refuse to pay and let the Inland Revenue pursue them through the courts, continuing the struggle for as long as possible. Others decide to pay up, under protest, while seeking to attract public and media attention to the issue.
War tax resistance should not be taken on lightly. It is a time-consuming struggle and their can be legal and financial consequences. Some people, however, feel that their conscience allows them no alternative.
The ultimate stand is to say "I refuse" to pay tax until receiving an assurance that it will not be used for military purposes. This is illegal. The Inland Revenue will make increasingly insistent requests for payment eventually leading to court action. The process is long and arduous, as well as costly in legal fees, bank charges and other expenses.
So what happens if you don't pay? The easiest option for the Inland Revenue is to 'garnishee' your bank account with a court order entitling them to seize the money owed, along with any extra charges incurred, from your bank account. If the tax resister is employed or receiving benefit, an 'attachment of earnings' order can be made, allowing the Inland Revenue to take the money in instalments out of wages or benefits. Alternatively they may appoint bailiffs to claim possession of goods which can be sold to pay off the debt. A rarely used option is to declare the tax resister 'bankrupt'. The final sanction, only used four times in the UK, is prison.
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On 6th March 1986 Arthur Windsor, a Gloucestershire pensioner, was imprisoned for 21 days for refusing to pay £100 of tax. He was the first Conscientious Objector to be imprisoned since conscription ended in 1960. Served the full sentence.
Sian Edwards sentenced to 7 days in Puckleworth Remand Centre on 17 February 1987. Served the full sentence.
Nigel, a Newcastle baker, was sentenced to 28 days in Durham Prison on 23 November 1990 after five years of tax resistance and several court hearings. He served the full sentence. Nigel, who had withheld £182, offered to pay with 182 bread buns, but these were rejected. "It is the military-industrial machine which we are resisting. We must trust our conscience in believing in a juster world", says Nigel Wild.
Roger Franklin is the most recent tax resister to go to prison. Roger has been resisting paying tax on interest from investments for over ten years. In November 1995 Roger was sentenced to 28 days in prison for refusing to pay £600 of capital gains tax. This was the first of ten instalments for a £6,000 tax debt built up over five years. He served 14 days with remission.
Roger Franklin was sentenced to 21 days in Gloucester Prison on 22 January 1996. He served 10 days with remission.
"As a pacifist, I object to supporting the armed forces. I would not, however, take the extreme position of tax resistance, even on that issue, except when an unjust war is actually being waged. But when it comes to genocide - to preparations for the massacre of the population of whole cities - I feel it is impossible to resist only moderately. An extreme evil demands total withdrawal of support."
Roger continues to resist war taxes and has since been made bankrupt by Inland Revenue.
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