Due to my values as a conscientious objector (CO), which derive from religious and ethical beliefs, I continue to experience profound ethical conflicts about paying for war through my taxes. For many years during and after the Vietnam War, I resisted half of my income taxes (the percentage of taxes that pays for past and present wars), leading to encounters with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officials who entered into dialogue with me. I contributed the money that I didn’t pay for war taxes to humanitarian projects, including various efforts to help active duty GIs and veterans. I argued and continue to argue that I and others like me who are conscientiously opposed to war should not suffer from the Constitutional contradiction of being recognized officially as a CO yet being required to pay taxes for war.

Read the full Statement of War Tax Resistance here.