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Elderly war tax resister loses court case

Paul | 18.08.2003 20:48 | Oxford

Oxford war tax resister, Brenda Boughton, aged 78, was given 28
days to
> pay the £310 of taxes (plus £50 costs) she has been withholding in
> protest at their use by the military.

Brenda attended a hearing at
> Oxford County Court on 6 August. Predictably, the court found
against
> her and ordered her to pay.
>
> Outside court she said: "I won't pay. I'll never pay, that's my
stance.
> It's very unlikely I will go to jail as it's a civil, no a criminal
> matter. But others have done in the past, and I would if I have to."
>
> Inland Revenue will probably garnishee the money from her account
if she
> does not pay after 28 days.
>
> About 15 people were at the court to support Brenda and she was
> interviewed on local radio and for BBC TV. Her case was reported by
> local newspapers and in the Independent
>  http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=431316
>
> Several more cases of war tax resistance will be heard in court in
the
> coming weeks. Joe Jenkins, a Hereford war tax resister, was due to
> appear in court on 5 August but his case has been adjourned to a
later
> date.
>
> For more information on war tax resistance contact Conscience, The
Peace
> Tax Campaign
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
---
> Conscience campaigns for the legal right for those who
> have a conscientious objection to war to have the military
> part of their taxes spent on peacebuilding initiatives.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
---
> Conscience - the peace tax campaign
> Oliver Haslam, Campaigns & Parliamentary Officer
> e-mail - lobby@c...
>
> Archway Resource Centre
> 1B Waterlow Road
> London
> N19 5NJ
> United Kingdom
>
> t: 0870 777 3223
> f: 020 7281 6508

Paul

Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

nice one

18.08.2003 21:03

Good on you. Well done for standing up to them.

Remember how the poll tax was beaten, after all... if everyone did this the whole
thing would become undoable :)

-


Solidarity and Strength, Sister

18.08.2003 21:51

... thanks for the inspiring example!!

BlackPope


Solidarity

19.08.2003 11:25


Well done,Brenda. Peace,solidarity and keep at 'em.

GreenLantern


Go for it

24.07.2005 11:05

I'm all for individuals with the courage to stand up to our, quite obviously, flawed "democracy". What about propotional representation - the old chestnut "but what about personal contact with your local polititian" just doesn't hold water.
How about starting a movement of refusal to comply with identity cards if they become "law".

Sarah
mail e-mail: oakdragon@gmail.com