15 April, 2026
Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service
Kansas City, MO 64999-0002
Copies to: Rep. Jefferson Shreve, Senator Todd Young, Senator Jim Banks,
President Donald Trump
To my government representatives,
As a USA citizen I see our laws as a community agreement, and I do my best to obey laws. However, I believe that God’s laws must come first, and God tells us, “Thou shalt not kill.” Currently the majority of every tax dollar goes to pay for past, current, and future wars. I will not pay the tax amount I owe to the federal government. I will instead pay the amount to groups working to heal the wounds of our violent society. Some applicable Bible verses that spoke to me recently (NRSV):
Acts 5:29 We must obey God rather than any human authority.
James 2:11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” said also, “Do not kill.” If you do not commit adultery but do kill, you have become a transgressor of the law.
James 2:15-17 If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things they needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
I am not against the idea of taxes. On the contrary, there are many needs in my country which could be met if we weren’t spending billions of dollars bombing Iran and shipping our troops to be killed in the Middle East. From the Pentagon’s briefing to Congress, the US-led war with Iran (“Operation Epic Fury”) is costing approximately $1 billion per day. The Pentagon reported over $11.3 billion was spent in just the first six days, and by March 13, costs rose to roughly $16.5 billion. $1 billion per day would mean a total cost so far of $38 billion. These numbers don’t include the significant global economic disruption, including fuel costs. Meanwhile
HUD-based estimates to house all people experiencing homelessness in the U.S.A. would cost roughly $20 billion annually.
Ending food insecurity for all in the U.S.A. would cost approximately $24 billion to $33 billion annually in direct food aid to cover the gap for hungry individuals, and would significantly lower federal healthcare costs resulting from hunger.
Pell grants for 6 million college students at the maximum allowed grant level would cost about $44 billion.
I wish that my taxes could support everyone in our country needing basic housing, food, and education in our country in addition to so much more that we could do. Unfortunately I’m given a choice of denying my conscience and faith by paying to kill, or dealing with federal penalties. I have to choose your penalties. I won’t pay for war.
My 2025 tax return said that I owe $ 1,157.00 in taxes. This year I will donate $1,157.00 to Daybreak Dayton, providing emergency shelter, housing, and support to homeless youth in my region. I am not benefitting financially from my refusal to pay for war. I want every cent I owe paid to save lives and build peace, not to destroy lives.
Sincerely,
Susan Lee Barton
