Fed Up With War, Some Won't Pay Taxes
JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN
AP
Thursday July 5, 2007
When the United States invaded Iraq more than four years ago, war
opponent David Gross asked his bosses for a radical pay cut, enough
so he wouldn't have to pay taxes to support the war.
"I was having a hard time looking at myself in the mirror,"
Gross said. "I knew the bombs falling were in part paid with my
tax dollars. I had to actually do something concrete to remove my complicity."
The San Francisco technical writer was making close to $100,000 a year.
He didn't know exactly how big of a pay cut he would need to fall below
the federal tax threshold, but later figured out he would have to make
less than minimum wage.
In any event, his employer turned him down and he quit. Gross, 38,
now works on a contract basis, and last year he refused to pay self-employment
taxes.
"I don't see the point of working for peace and paying for war,"
Sheehan said.
