I started summarizing the results of surveys that NWTRCC conducted over .
Three varieties of survey were distributed — one for current war tax resisters, one for former war tax resisters, and one for those who had never done any war tax resistance. , I summarized the survey of those who had never done tax resistance; I’ll summarize the responses of the 94 former resisters.
What sort of tax resistance did they engage in, and for how long?
Of the former resisters, 81.9% had resisted the federal excise tax on telephone service and 68.1% had resisted the federal income tax. They were also asked how many years they had participated in each variety of resistance:
| phone tax | income tax | |
|---|---|---|
| None | 18.1% | 31.9% |
| 1 year | 4.3% | 10.6% |
| 2 years | 8.5% | 10.6% |
| 3 years | 10.6% | 17.0% |
| 4 years | 9.6% | 3.2% |
| 5 years | 11.7% | 7.4% |
| 6 years | 4.3% | 3.2% |
| 7 years | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 8 years | 1.1% | 2.1% |
| 9 years | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| 10 years | 6.4% | 4.3% |
| 10+ years | 20.2% | 10.6% |
Why did they resist taxes?
They were asked “What reasons best describe the motives for your previous WTR?” (they could choose more than one):
| Wanted the military budget reduced | 70.2% |
|---|---|
| Religious or ethical conscience | 69.1% |
| Wanted to make a stronger statement | 52.1% |
| Wanted to end a specific war or military action or type of weaponry | 42.6% |
| Wanted to redirect taxes | 42.6% |
| Effective opposition strategy | 29.8% |
| Wanted to encourage more social services | 29.8% |
Why did they stop resisting taxes?
They were asked “Why don’t you do WTR any longer?” (they could choose more than one):
| IRS collected taxes | 40.4% |
|---|---|
| Family commitments | 38.3% |
| Felt ineffective | 23.4% |
| Too much trouble | 23.4% |
| Wanted to maintain job | 22.3% |
| Effect on credit | 7.4% |
| Felt like my statement was made | 6.4% |
| No longer opposed war | 0.0% |
What consequences do they imagine?
They were asked “What are the two most likely consequences of WTR”:
| Collection of taxes | 87.2% |
|---|---|
| Seizure of property | 54.3% |
| Loss of credit | 23.4% |
| Jail | 6.4% |
| Loss of job | 6.4% |
Notable here is how much less people who have done tax resistance associate jail with tax resistance than did those who have never done it and know less about it (almost a third of them thought jail was a likely consequence of war tax resistance).
Would they consider a one-year tax strike?
More than three-quarters of the former tax resisters who were surveyed (77.7%) would “consider participating in a one-year commitment to refuse to pay a portion of your federal income taxes redirecting them to a humanitarian cause if thousands joined you publicly?”
They were also asked “Which resources would help you decide to participate?” (they could choose more than one). These were the results:
| Knowing others are also doing it | 53.2% |
|---|---|
| Clear idea of likely consequences | 52.1% |
| Knowing the action will be publicized | 52.1% |
| Participation in collective alternative fund | 39.4% |
| Written guides to WTR | 28.7% |
| Group discussions options & methods | 20.2% |
| One on one counseling | 11.7% |
| Participation in the planning | 10.6% |
, I’ll summarize the survey responses from people who are currently resisting taxes, which gives a demographic snapshot of some American war tax resisters.
