Fiscal Objection to Military Expenditure

The importance of this campaign

In an hour, €127 Million is spent on armies worldwide, and in this same amount of time 1,800 children die in third world countries. These facts along with many others  demonstrate a harsh reality: the military uses resources that are desperately needed to remedy society’s problems.

Every year the government prepares a budget, a substantial portion of which is dedicated to military spending. Citizen participation is what generates the money for these budgets. An important part of this budget is formed through indirect taxes, (VAT essentially), and another comes through direct contribution through one’s income tax to pay off the “public debt”. It is through direct taxes that we have the ability to express our opposition to military spending . We can either express our rejection of this spending though tax objection, or we miss the opportunity to dissent entirely.

Tax objection is based on the denial of using violent force to resolve conflicts. Most states choose military solutions to deal with conflict which implies the existence and reliance on armies. This reliance on militarization diverts too much money from public spending and could be better used to handle societal costs. Tax objection advocates disarmament and for the peaceful, non-violent resolution of conflicts and ultimately to create a world without armies, and where their existence is a precondition for global security.
    
What is the Campaign?

Conscientious objection to military spending is an act of civil disobedience, as well as a denial of any cooperation with the State in preparation for war and the industrial military complex as a whole. This translates into active civil disobedience at the time that taxes are collected.

In this campaign we call for the non-cooperation and civil disobedience to protest military spending. One must publically deny the material resources that make this military spending possible.
The SIOF, information for spending on tax objection is a non-profit entity that supports all campaigns which take place annually in Catalonia and Spain as a whole, and serve to provide advice on how best to resist military spending.

What can you do?

• Become a Tax Objector! The first thing you can do is to declare yourself on your tax return. We explain the procedure for how to do this in the practical guide on military spending.  
• Share it! Use social media to raise awareness about the campaign and military spending.
• Work with us! Become associated with the Delás Center or become a collaborator or volunteer to defend this and other causes with the mission of creating an environment of peace and a disarmed society.

For more information: http://www.objecciofiscal.org/index.php/es/