Posts tagged as:

war

Should You Pay to Finance the War in Iraq?

March 18, 2008 · 14 comments

This week, the US marked the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq. President Bush is expected in his remarks on tomorrow to confirm that the war in Iraq was necessary, saying, “Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision, and this is a fight America can and must win.”

He is also expected to note the toll that the war has taken on the US, including the deaths of almost 4,000 troops. He is not expected to mention the billions of dollars spent during the course of the war or what may happen to the military if the war continues.

Marches and protests have been taking place throughout the week to mark the anniversary, including in Washington, DC, where activists plan to blockade the headquarters of the Internal Revenue Service on March 19, 2008. The activists will gather at 7 am at McPherson Sq., 15th & K Sts. NW. From these areas they will march to the IRS main entrance at 1111 Constitution Ave. Once at the entrance, they will attempt to prevent the IRS from opening as usual. The plan is to call attention to the cost of the war and what some perceive as a collective responsibility to stop funding it – including by distributing flyers such as this (downloadable here as a pdf).

This is not a completely isolated event – though it may be singular in its scale. But, increasingly, Americans are protesting the war with their dollars – as in not paying them. In 2007, an estimated 10,000 Americans did not pay federal taxes or paid only a portion of what they owe as a means of protesting the Iraq war. There are even several popular web sites which explore various means of protesting through nonpayment, including the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee.

It’s a really interesting concept – this idea of whether you should be forced to pay for expenditures that you may find morally reprehensible. Even Congress has considered the implications of continuing to fund the war on the backs of taxpayers. I’ve mulled this notion before. What do you think?

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Fix The Tax Code Friday: War Tax

October 5, 2007 · 0 comments

Some members of Congress have proposed a “war tax” to fight the increasing costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Opponents are crying “no more taxes” while others scramble to reconcile a budget spiraling out of control. So today’s question is:

Should Congress impose a war surtax in order to pay for the war? If not, do you think it’s fair to pass along the cost to future generations? Is there a better way to pay for the war?

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Fix The Tax Code Friday: Protesting with your dollars

July 6, 2007 · 0 comments

As the war in Iraq grows more unpopular, a new series of tax protests are gaining ground.

Protesting taxes in the US is nothing new – it hails back to Pre-Revolutionary War days and enjoyed a brief resurgence during the war in Vietnam. But until recently, there hasn’t been an organized movement that was considered mainstream. This year, however, it seems that folks are fed up with funding a war that many feel has grown too big, too expensive and too expansive.

At the forefront of the movement is the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. The group estimates that between 8,000 and 10,000 Americans did not pay a full tax bill due to objections over the war. It’s worth noting that this is not allowed under the current tax code and penalties for making what the government considers a “frivolous argument” range from $500 to $5,000. In response, may war protesters support the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund which would allow taxpayers to direct their taxes to nonmilitary purposes.

So, today’s Fix the Tax Code Friday question is:

Should Americans who oppose the war be allowed to withhold tax dollars or redirect those dollars to nonmilitary purposes?

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