Department of Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
P.O. Box 931000
Louisville, KY 40293-1000
Copies to : Rep. Greg Pence, Senator Mike Braun, Senator Todd Young, President Joseph Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris
To my government representatives,
My 2021 tax return says that I owe $ 783.00 in taxes. Following my practice for over a decade I am once again writing to explain why my conscience will not allow me to pay the amount I owe to the federal government. Currently the majority of every tax dollar goes to pay for past, present, and future wars. I can not pay for war. I am not against taxes, but I first need to follow God’s law, “Thou shalt not kill.”
You might have heard of the Religious Society of Friends’ religious testimony regarding integrity. We attempt to live out our faith so that our words and actions are in harmony with our beliefs. Truth is not conditional to circumstances. Unfortunately my government is asking me to go against my religious beliefs in order to support war, essentially mass murder in my name. We have set murder and theft outside legal and moral bounds in most contexts, yet suddenly say it is moral if our government declares it to be so. Why is war legal? Why is it that when a conflict transcends national boundaries, we have not planned and worked toward any recourse against aggression other than threatening or carrying out more violence in return? Why is it still legal for states to compel their citizens to use violence?
There are non-violent methods to de-escalate and diffuse conflict, and yet any system of international law has been undermined at every turn to protect the ability of strong countries to do what they please. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an opt-in situation, applying only to those countries that have accepted the jurisdiction of the court, and the U.S.A. has not opted in. We want to be able to pick and choose who should be held accountable for war crimes, including our racist ideas but excluding us. Most cases listed on the ICC docket target African or Middle Eastern officials, making it clear who the court is meant to punish for aggression and crimes against humanity. There are many major and minor conflicts across the globe today, for example in the Sahel, Yemen, or Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands of people have been murdered and millions have had their lives destroyed by violent conflict with zero recourse, and the USA has refused many refugees from these conflicts. The scale of global attention on the war in Ukraine makes evident the deep racism and Islamophobia at play in shaping whose lives may be acceptably threatened by war. I find all of it unacceptable.
It is time to invest in developing tools and methods for peacebuilding that have the same level of authority and resources that we have invested for generations in war-making. We need systems of accountability that allow us to nonviolently address conflicts. We must invest in research and development for means to interrupt violence without more violence, both at home and abroad. We need to invest in the underlying issues that drive violent conflict in the first place. We can look to examples of non-violent, civilian-based defense that have been successful in conflicts across the globe, even in cases of asymmetrical power. (One example close to Ukraine is Solidarnosc’s success in attaining free elections in Poland.)
War is NOT inevitable. Conflict is part of life, but we can choose how to participate. I worship a God of surprises, a God who can guide us to solutions much better than what we humans imagined, a God who exceeds our expectations of what is possible. Human evolution starts with envisioning a better way and making a decision to change. I know that our country can do better, and I am trying to direct my tax dollars to support that change.
I want to fulfill my financial responsibilities to my community without denying my conscience and faith. Unfortunately we seem committed to destroying some communities rather than meeting human needs. Since I believe change begins at home, this year I will donate $783.00 to Color of Change challenging injustice, holding corporate and political leaders accountable, researching systems of inequality, and advancing solutions for racial justice that can transform our world. I am not benefitting financially from my refusal to pay for war. I am trying to follow God’s lead and save lives. Given a choice of paying to kill or dealing with financial and other penalties, I have to choose your penalties. I won’t pay for war.
I urge you to make it possible for USA citizens to follow our faith and conscience without breaking the law. I also urge you to start researching the many examples and methods available to begin addressing conflict in healthy restorative ways. Our country can change to create a better future. Please help us do so.
In peace, Susan Lee Barton
