Mount Toby Montly Meeting... supports all of its members who are conscientiously unable to pay taxes for war. Friends have refused to participate in war for over 300 years, attempting instead to "live in the virtue of that life and power that takes away the occasion of all wars." The warfare system has now become so all-pervasive and so repugnant to human decency that the simple refusal to participate with our bodies is no longer sufficient. Some of us feel constrained by conscience to refuse or money as well.

The folly of continued dependence on military defense is made even plainer by events now taking place.  We note that preoccupation with military solutions is blinding our government to our own best interest in foreign policy. We also note that weapons systems are being manufactured just because they are possible or profitable, and "needs" are invented later.

Many years of discussion with our elected representatives have brought us no relief in such forms as passage of the World Peace Tax Fund bill. We therefore feel constrained to move from persuation into action.

Since the Meeting itself pays no federal income tax, in token of our support for all our members who are refusing war taxes, we are setting up a fund to share in the financial burdens this has imposed upon them.  As expected, some members were assessed penalties of $500 for filing "frivolous" returns.  This is a light penalty compared to that which would be imposed in many countries of the world for such open opposition to the government.  Nevertheless we continue to call upon our elected representatives to recognize conscientious objection to war by making alternative provision for the use of personal income taxes, such as the World Peace Tax Fund bill, which would allow us, not to pay less taxes, but to redirect the military portion of them to the peaceful pruposes now being so shamefully neglected.