It is a Crime to Pay Tax
It is a crime to pay tax. This statement may, at first, appear improbable, yet it is true. The truth of it is embedded firmly in international law, and this law is explicit and unequivocal.
At the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal it was stated that ‘individuals have international duties’ which transcend allegiance to their individual nation state. This makes it clear that each citizen has a responsibility to ensure their own personal conduct does not breach international law which overrides the laws of their own governments.
Let’s look at what these laws are: in 1950, the United Nations enacted the seven universal laws of war known as the Nuremberg Principles, principle six of which clearly defines the crimes which are ‘punishable under international law’: crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. These joined the offence of genocide as the world’s worst crimes. ‘Crimes Against Peace’ specifically prohibits ‘wars of aggression’ the definition of which our ‘interventions’ in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya clearly satisfy. By deploying high-explosive weapons which they knew would cause massive death and destruction our leaders demonstrated intent and so are guilty of war crimes.
In 1998, after fifty years of illegal wars in breach of the Nuremberg Principles, 132 states, in an attempt to block the loopholes allowing nations to commit these crimes with impunity, drew up the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Article 25 of the Rome Statute states that a person is criminally liable who ‘aids, abets or assists’ in the commission of such a crime ‘including providing the means for its commission.’
This statement is crucial; state sponsored wars such as those waged against Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya can only be fought with the consent of a majority of the citizens, specifically through gathering their taxes. Governments cannot wage war without the money to buy weapons, pay troops or purchase supplies. Without the support of taxpayers and moneylenders war would be impossible. Taxpayers who fund illegal war commit a war crime.
Your duty is clear then, as a citizen whose taxes are being used to commit war crimes you are committing those same crimes. The only way to avoid liability is to withhold your taxes, by doing so you will be upholding the law. But is this only about stark legalities? Do we not also have moral duties which impel us to act?
Significantly, in this case, the law takes into account your conscience: Nuremberg Principle number four states that even if a person acts under the orders of their government this ‘does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him’.
Let us then ponder that in ten years NATO and ISAF governments have caused the deaths of 800,000 adults and 400,000 children, injured three million people and driven eight million into exile and destitution. These very real human beings – are they worthy of your moral consideration? International law says yes. What do you say?
Read also: Ghis: Escape in Prison
I agree with this article so much, never realised what I do when I pay my taxes, what can I do about it, if I dont pay my taxes I need a very good laywer and they are very expensive!!
can you give my advice in this?
Regards, Mrs.W.L.Ouwerkerk the netherlands
This is great and all legit but in a system that completely implicitly ignores what laws don’t fit its agenda and those that do are used how could we use this information. A court of law would ignore these laws and simply state I haven’t paid my taxes and I’m going to prison.
I agree with your article, but unfortunately the government is convincing the world that their acts are not an act of war, but an act for civil rights in the countries they are bombing. So when you take this to the courts because you withheld your taxes, they will simply say there is no act of war crimes and thus you can be punished. The system is wrong.
Dear all,
I recommend everyone to visit the Personocratia website and read all about this wonderful concept. Ghis, Mado and others there are my good old friends. They don’t pay taxes. Neither do I.
The best way to test this law might be to sue the government IN RETROSPECT for a refund on taxes already paid. This would form a landmark case.