In 1982, the War Resisters League and the Center on Law and Pacifism co-founded the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, which publishes a bimonthly newsletter and a War Tax Manual for Counselors. The Campaign’s primary goal was to divert one-tenth of one percent of the federal government’s military budget to the Peace Research Fund.
Hundreds of thousands of people began to take action during the 1980s. President Ronald Reagan had called for the rearmament of the U.S., and the number of people refusing to pay war taxes increased. Several prominent religious leaders, including the Roman Catholic Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen, urged citizens to refuse 50 percent of their income taxes. Many religious leaders began sending letters of support to the Washington, D.C., government, and IRS regarding the tax refusal.
If you are able to join the boycott, it is easy to get involved. There are many ways to participate, including signing and distributing leaflets. You can also donate to the War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, which provides free leaflets. War Tax Boycott activists have also organized local actions to promote the boycott.
In the United States, War Resisters’ International has led several campaigns protesting war taxes. One such campaign was the “peace coin” campaign, which raised awareness of war taxes. Peace coins were sold as a form of solidarity and to support civil peace teams. Proceeds from the coins were donated to the Balkan Peace Team. In 1997, the campaign became more focused on resisting small taxes and small amounts of war-related spending.