‘A conflict is a problem to be solved not a war to be fought.’ Photo: by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
In the line of duty: Robin Brookes campaigns for conscientious taxation
‘This is an impossibly-huge-looking task, which calls on all of us to act.’
I first came across the organisation ‘Conscience: Taxes for Peace Not War’ in the early 1980s. This was around the time that cruise missiles were being stationed in Britain, and Ronald Reagan touted his theory of limited nuclear war. The organisation’s simple message struck home: we all pay for war through our taxes, and we have no choice about it; we are forced to participate in war and preparation for war. If you’re someone who would conscientiously object to military service, you surely have to consider whether paying for someone else to kill is also against your conscience. I am now a member of Conscience’s executive committee.
Conscience was started when Stanley Keeble, a Friend from Cornwall, brought his concern about paying for war to Meeting for Sufferings. With the help of Quaker Peace and Service, he and a group of like-minded Friends founded The Peace Tax Campaign in 1977. Quaker Peace and Service, which later became Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW), appointed the first of many Quaker peaceworkers to assist in campaigning. There has always been a Quaker on the executive committee.
The principal aim of Conscience is to find a legal solution to relieve the consciences of conscientious objectors (COs). Its key work aim is to persuade government, through a bill in parliament, to allow COs to divert the military proportion of their taxes into a peace fund.
The Peace Tax Campaign’s founder members thought it would be easy to get the government to agree. This has not turned out to be the case. With the help of a series of sympathetic MPs, Conscience has instigated several private members’ bills and ten minute rule bills. The latest attempt was undertaken with the help of Labour MP Ruth Cadbury; before that it had the help of Dennis Canavan, Neil Gerrard and John McDonnell. There is a lot of resistance among MPs, but also a lot of support. Private members’ bills have not yet proceeded to a second reading, but we continue to press forward. Conscience is working on a new bill for the next parliament.
A provision for a peace fund would relieve personal consciences, but this is about more than individuals withdrawing from the business of war. Any CO is also going to want a change in the way governments handle conflicts, and eventually the abolition of war. Conscience’s stated aim is therefore: ‘Conscience: Taxes for Peace Not War works for a world where taxes are used to nurture peace, not pay for war… We campaign for a progressive increase in the amount of UK tax spent on peacebuilding, and a corresponding decrease in the amount spent on war and preparation for war. We also campaign for the legal right of those with a conscientious objection to war to have the entire military part of their taxes spent on peacebuilding.’
As the number, and ferocity, of wars and violent conflicts continue to escalate, it is more urgent than ever for the human race to abolish war. This is an impossibly-huge-looking task, which calls on all of us to act. A conflict is a problem to be solved, not a war to be fought. Imagine if there was a Ministry for Peace and Disarmament; or a directive to the Foreign Office to warn early on of potential areas of conflict, of conflicts brewing, so that action can be taken to avert war; or a department/team to problem solve conflicts; or that there were more tools in the box to create global human security. Funding from diverted taxes could make these things possible. Gradually, the military could transform into a body of people who spent virtually all of their time rescuing, relieving, and rebuilding, in areas of the world where major problems threaten the powerless – this would be much as they do now, but an extension of what is currently a fringe activity of their main purpose.
QPSW has been supporting Conscience for many years, with an annual grant for educational work. We are very grateful for this. An important part of our campaign to get the law changed is to explain why we think this is important. The educational programme can be accessed by anyone, but it is particularly aimed at MPs whose support we are canvassing.
Most recently, this educational work has taken the form of a series of public webinars, arranged during lockdown, to explore conscientious objection to military service, to military taxes and to how diverted money could be used to develop non-military security. These have been developed into a set of downloadable factsheets.
Conscience also supports and advises those who have decided to withhold part of their taxes. This is a serious business, and can result in fines, seizure of property and prison. I started withholding my income tax in 2003 after realising that our country was going to engage in an illegal war with Iraq. I had been a member of Conscience for around twenty years, and during that time my wife and I had discussed whether we should withhold some of our taxes. The Iraq war was the last straw for me, and, after careful consideration of the consequences, I withheld my income tax. I wrote to my MP, HM Revenue and Customs, and the prime minister, to explain my position and ask for the law to be changed. Conscience helped me by introducing me to six other war-tax resisters. Later they assisted the Peace Tax Seven, of which I was one, in seeking a judicial review under the Human Rights Act, Article 9 (the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion).
Once upon a time, while it was still possible to do so, Britain Yearly Meeting withheld taxes on behalf of its conscientiously-objecting employees, taking the matter to court before paying ‘under protest’ (payment to the Treasury with a letter of complaint).
Since Stanley Keeble there have been a number of Friends who have brought the same concern to Meeting for Sufferings, and many who have withheld part or all of their income tax. Arthur Windsor was the first to be sent to prison for his tax refusal. Others have had possessions taken to be auctioned to claim the outstanding debt.
Quakers in the USA are also very active in the peace tax campaign, calling for a change in the law and supporting war tax resisters. New York Meeting has set up an intermediary bank account into which the taxes are paid. Under this system tax resisters do effectively pay the money to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), but the IRS cannot withdraw it unless it can guarantee it will be ring-fenced for peaceful use. Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to be a possibility in the UK.
It is vital that we build and maintain a healthy body of supporters, to show government that this issue matters. Conscience is always looking for dedicated people to volunteer with us, from steering the campaign on our executive committee, to helping with research, to posting on social media and publicising the organisation. Could this be you?
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More can be found out about Conscience, its history, its current campaigning and its educational work here: https://www.conscienceonline.org.uk/
By Robin B on 29th February 2024 - 9:33
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