Might the Supreme Court Legalize Conscientious Tax Resistance?

Tax resistance news of note:

  • NWTRCC’s recent national conference featured a talk from attorney Peter Goldberger on the changing legal landscape for conscientious objectors to military taxation. Goldberger says that the current Supreme Court’s increasing deference to religious scruples on First Amendment grounds provides a long-shot opening that war tax resisters might be able to leverage:
  • A council tax strike meant to stop the construction of a new incinerator in North London is in progress, partially under the Extinction Rebellion “Money Rebellion” banner. Striker Sarah Eastwood is withholding a small, symbolic amount as a protest: “At times, it can feel that as one voter or taxpayer, there is very little that we do to make an impact on these decisions. Though we’ve raised our concerns, we are not being heard. My difficult decision to strike will hopefully force a proper public debate about what is happening.”
  • The “Build Back Better” infrastructure bill that recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives does not include dreaded provisions that would force banks to report to the IRS more details about more of their customers’ accounts. The Senate still has to weigh in, but it looks like this expanded reporting proposal is dead for now.
  • Some residents of the “Electronic City” tech zone in Bangalore, India, have been refusing to pay property taxes for three years now to protest the government’s broken promises regarding infrastructure and trash disposal.