UFPJ Considering Timid War Tax Resistance Stand

My recent post about various anti-war calls to action reminded me that the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee had a proposal pending for consideration by the United for Peace and Justice National Assembly that just concluded in St. Louis:

That UFPJ build on its endorsement of the Hang Up On War telephone tax resistance campaign (as proposed by Iraq Pledge of Resistance and endorsed at the last Assembly in Chicago) with a direct link from the UFPJ website and including the campaign in “what you can do” lists.

That UFPJ endorse the use of the Peace Tax Return put out by National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee this year. The return offers options from sending in a protest form with tax payments to actually resisting some or all of income taxes that are due. In addition, UFPJ could consider cosponsoring the form or helping create a form with many groups involved for tax season next year.

That UFPJ call for protest actions at IRS offices and post offices on . National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee has collected information on actions around the country through its own network for decades and listed these in a press release and on our website. With some assistance from volunteers we could expand this list and would ask UFPJ to link to it or put it on the UFPJ website. list is still on the web at: www.nwtrcc.org/taxday2004.htm

I haven’t heard word yet whether or not this proposal was adopted at the assembly. It isn’t asking for much: A link on a web page, an endorsement, a call for protest actions on .

On the other hand, the last NWTRCC proposal that UFPJ adopted was to launch the “Hang Up On War” phone tax resistance campaign — and that campaign turned out to be underwhelming in its impact and participation (last I looked, fewer than 150 people had signed on, nationwide). It’s possible that UFPJ will want more bang for their buck this time.