Tag: taxes

Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes FY2024

WRL's Fiscal Year 2024 pie chart - (front)

WRL’s Fiscal Year 2024 pie chart – (front)

Perfect for Tax Day leafletting, as a focus for forums and panels and workshops and more!

The new War Resisters League’s famous “pie chart” flyer, Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes, analyzes the Federal Fiscal Year 2024 Budget (FY 2024 is 1 October 2023 – 30 September 2024.  This FY2024 issue was published in March 2023.

Each year War Resisters League analyzes federal funds outlays as presented in detailed tables in “Analytical Perspectives” of the Budget of the United States Government. Our analysis is based on federal funds, which do not include trust funds – such as Social Security – that are raised separately from income taxes for specific purposes. What federal income taxes you pay (or don’t pay) by April 18, 2023, goes to the federal funds portion of the budget.

STOP THE NEXT WAR BEFORE IT STARTS

The massive militaries of the United States and NATO did not prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine. In fact, United States and NATO presence surrounding Russia fueled Putin’s aggression. Tensions rise with China and North Korea as the United States adds more bases in Asia, including four in the Philippines. In Okinawa, Japan, there is strong local opposition to the 31 U.S. military installations. About two-thirds of current conflicts involve one or more sides armed by the United States.

Diplomacy Not Militarism

Major U.S. wars, from Korea to Vietnam to the so-called “War on Terror,” all failed in their goals of peace and stability. The need is urgent to change priorities. A Pew Research poll in 2019 found that people around the world viewed the climate crisis as biggest threat — a crisis that cannot be solved by the military. In fact, the U.S. military is the world’s biggest polluter.

We must stop the next war before it starts. Demand drastic cuts to the military budget and a shift in U.S. foreign policy from militarism to diplomacy

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Leaflet with this flyer year-round and on Tax Day, April 18, 2023, and throughout the Global Days of Action on Military Spending, April 13 – May 9, 2023; also see demilitarize.org.

Vist https://www.warresisters.org/store/where-your-income-tax-money-really-goes-fy2024 for more charts and information.

We Need Your Help – Can You Take 1 Minute to Email Your Legislators?

by Megan Fountain, Unidad Latina en Acción

Connecticut leads the nation in racial and economic inequality, with gaps between the wealthiest and poorest residents. These gaps create tremendous disparities in public education funding, access to healthcare, labor conditions, and housing.

Connecticut’s tax code disproportionately burdens low- and middle-income families. They pay almost three times the percentage of their income in taxes than those who earn more than $600,000 per year. It’s not fair. But it can be changed.

The Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee is considering two bills, HB 6187 and SB 821, that would add fairness to the tax code. These bills would also generate the resources that we need, like healthcare for immigrants and DOL protections. Thank you!

‘Occupy Yale’ Caravan Demands Yale Pay Its Fair Share of Taxes to the City of New Haven

Megan Fountain, Unidad Latina en Acción

More than 100 cars and 50 marchers on foot took the streets on Dec. 10 for a rally and car caravan to “Occupy Yale.” This action was sponsored by Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA), Black and Brown United in Action (BBUA), Hamden Action Now. Cars and marchers took over downtown New Haven and Yale campus to call on the university to pay its debt to the people of New Haven.  With the City facing a deficit of $13 million, Yale is closing the fiscal year with a surplus of $203 million and an endowment of $31.2 billion.

“Our people are going hungry and dying, jobs are scarce, some people are living in tents in the woods, and others are about to lose their homes” said John Lugo of Unidad Latina en Acción. “Will the City of New Haven cut jobs and slash essential services to subsidize Yale’s tax breaks?  Will renters and homeowners continue paying for the taxes that Yale doesn’t pay?”

Contact: Megan Fountain, [email protected], (203) 479-2959.

Where Your Tax Money Goes…

information from a leaflet from New Haven Sunday Vigil

April 15 was the deadline for filing federal and state taxes for 2018. The oft-quoted or misquoted phrase linking “death and taxes” is apropos in a way its originator(s) did not intend. A huge percentage of our tax dollars goes to fund death-dealing in the form of endless war throughout the world, and to subsidize big corporations and 1% of the wealthiest individuals. A much, much smaller percentage goes to fund the things we all care about and desperately need — healthcare, education, housing, infrastructure, a clean environment, good jobs and good wages for everyone.

Imagine if the percentages were reversed

Imagine, in fact, a tax code where we each paid our fair share according to our income, with the wealthiest paying the most. Imagine that these taxes funded a system which produced and improved upon the things we all require to sustain our lives, instead of one which exports endless war and rewards corporate greed. Imagine what we could do for ourselves, each other, and our planet. Imagine. Act.

Resist this Endless War! Join the conversation every Sunday at the intersection of Broadway, Park and Elm streets from noon till 1 p.m. The website for more information is newhavensundayvigil.wordpress.com.

Pie Chart Flyers – Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes | War Resisters League

Perfect for Tax Day leafletting, as a focus for forums and panels and workshops and more!

The new edition of the War Resisters League’s famous “pie chart” flyer, Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes, analyzes the Federal Fiscal Year 2020 Budget (FY 2020 is 1 October 2019 – 30 September 2020. This FY2020 issue has just been published. Order now, and we’ll get them to you as soon as we can! 

Each year War Resisters League analyzes federal funds outlays as presented in detailed tables in “Analytical Perspectives” of the Budget of the United States Government. Our analysis is based on federal funds, which do not include trust funds – such as Social Security – that are raised separately from income taxes for specific purposes. What federal income taxes you pay (or don’t pay) by April 15, 2019, goes to the federal funds portion of the budget.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Leaflet with this flyer year-round and on Tax Day, April 15, 2019, and throughout the Global Days of Action on Military Spending, April 13 to May 9, 2019.

Get involved in WRL’s organizing and education work: No SWAT zone: campaign to end police militarization, nonviolent direct action training, internationalism, counter military recruitment, resisting airwars, and more. Visit WRL’s membership handbook. Find resources to challenge militarism, curb police power, strengthen nonviolent action and lift up community resilience!

Write elected officials  letters-to-the-editor, and posts online. Send and share copies of this flyer. Explain your budget priorities for a better world.

Divest from war! Refuse to pay all or part of your federal income tax. Though illegal, thousands of people openly participate in this form of protest. Sign up at wartaxdivestment.org. Whatever you choose to re- fuse—$1, $10, 48% or 100%—send a letter to elected officials and tell them why. Contact us for information or referral to a counselor near you. Contribute resisted tax money to groups that work for the common good.

For more about refusing to pay for war, sample brochures, and to watch the introductory film Death & Taxes, contact the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, (800) 269-7464 or see nwtrcc.org. Support the Peace Tax Fund bill: peacetaxfund.org.

Order a DVD of NWTRCC’s film, Death and Taxes from WRL’s online store.

Read and use War Tax Resistance: A Guide to Withholding Your Support from the Military, a 144-page handbook with history, methods and resources. Available for $5 plus postage from WRL’s onlines store.

You can also download the flyers and print them locally. 

Fiscal Year 2020 (Released March 2019) Pie Chart Flyer
in English, lower resolution, in color (pdf)
in English, higher resolution, in color (pdf)
in English, lower resolution, black and white (pdf)
in English, higher resolution, black and white (pdf)
in Spanish, lower resolution, in color (pdf)
in Spanish, higher resolution, in color (pdf)
in Spanish, lower resolution, black and white (pdf)
in Spanish, higher resolution, black and white (pdf)

We offer these downloads free of charge, but we really appreciate your donation to support the work of producing this important resource each year.  If you can, donate today!

For Pie Charts from previous years, check out the Pie Chart Archives

Source: Pie Chart Flyers – Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes | War Resisters League

How To Resist War Taxes | War Resisters League

Resisting war taxes is really very simple — don’t pay all the tax due on your annual Federal income tax form, or don’t pay the Federal excise tax on telephone bills, or both.

Summarized below are a few war tax resistance methods. Detailed descriptions can be found in WRL’s War Tax Resistance: A Guide to Withholding Your Support from the Military and through war tax counselors. Contact the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC) for counselors in your area. The probability of collection or prosecution varies among the methods; all — except #4 — are illegal. Serious consideration must be given before embarking on these types of resistance.

1) File and refuse to pay your taxes. This involves filling out an IRS income tax return (e.g., Form 1040) and refusing to pay either a token amount of your taxes (e.g., $1, $9.11, $100), some “military” portion (approximately 1% for nuclear warheads, 4% for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 30% for current military spending, 50% for current and past military spending combined — see WRL’s pie chart for the latest percentages), (or click on the image below to download the pie chart) or the total amount (since a portion of whatever is paid goes largely to the military). Include a letter of explanation with the return.
2) File a blank IRS 1040 income tax return with a note of explanation.
3) Don’t file any Federal income tax returns.
4) Earn less than the taxable income.
5) Resist telephone taxes.

Read more about refusing to support the war effort by not paying taxes here: How To Resist War Taxes | War Resisters League