Reply #5: If you refused to pay your taxes or any portion of ...

[gleaner]

your taxes based on anti war convictions and wrote the IRS and told them so, they would try to collect the taxes from you. Tax court ruled that such an action is a "frivolous position" and that it would not be upheld. So IRS would try and secure what they thought you owed and get it from you any way they could.

I'm a Quaker who worked for IRS when there were no wars. I thought somehow that made it better. It didn't. Because there was always revenue earmarked for defense spending, covert operations and a war can flare up at any time. I have MS, they accommodated my disability when few employers would, but it was not a good enough reason. I'm still ashamed of myself. I was needed the work, but I should have held out for something not in conflict with my values. It was not ethical of me to do that. The MS played a large part in why I resigned, but the ethical dilemma I had made for myself would have done it too.

As Quakers we can tell you that there are many who do exactly what you are thinking of doing, but we can't tell you to go ahead and do it because that is against the law. It was a widespread practice during Viet Nam, and resumed as a practice during Iraq. I don't know that it has ever stopped. If you are willing to take that risk, I applaud you. As far as I know they mostly try to get you to pay by securing a return from you. If they cannot, then they prepare a substitute for return, assess your tax based on that and begin collection actions after it has gone through all of their legal processes for appeal. With most non filers they used MFS as your filing status. It is the most unfavorable status. They took the position that since you had not filed and made a declaration of any other status that is the one they had to use. They give you no deductions except the standard deductions for MFS and if you were deemed a "tax protester," which you would have been deemed to be, given your refusal to pay based on a "frivolous position," they could pursue you criminally. I'm not sure what they do anymore, but that is what they did in the 90s. Too bad more people don't have the guts to refuse to pay for war and make a real impact. I'm not telling you to disobey the law but the only thing this government hears is money talking. Good luck whatever you decide to do. You are a good person with a lot of courage.