Quaker War Tax Resistance: In 1994, Joseph Olejak stopped paying taxes. Find out why, and what his Quaker Meeting did when it landed him in jail.
Resources:
- Read more about Joseph’s journey through faith and the justice system
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- Quaker Voluntary Service has opportunities for young women and men interested in social and personal transformation through service work and living in Quaker community.
Discussion Questions:
- Joseph quotes Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “You don’t need to see the top of the stairs to take the next step” and calls his action a “step of faith.” What was a time in your life when you took the next step without seeing the top of the stairs? How did it turn out?
- Joseph points out that 57% of our taxes go towards war and the preparation for war, but if there was something called a “peace tax”, then you would have more control over how your money is spent. Are you in support of a peace tax?
Transcript:
My name is Joseph Olejak, I live in Chatham Center, and I attend the Old Chatham Quaker Meeting. My war tax resistance started in 1994. I was listening to “60 Minutes” and Leslie Stahl was interviewing Madeleine Albright, and she asked Madeleine Albright the question: “Was the sacrifice of a half a million children in Iraq, due to the embargo of food and medicine, worth it?” And without skipping a beat, Madeline Albright said, “Yes.”
I knew at that moment, I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t support the war. And I felt compelled to take an action.
Withholding Taxes
In 1994, I started my tax resistance by just not filing. I got the stuff from my accountant back and it had the whole form filled out and the amount that was due and I was holding it in front of me and I just looked at the numbers and I thought, “How much of this is going to go toward creating bombs and guns and nuclear weapons and everything else?” And I just set it down. And I didn’t file.
Quakers and War
The way Quakers look at war is that, when we destroy other human beings, we’re not only destroying humanity but we’re also destroying that in humanity which is a reflection of God. In the Bible, one of the things that Christ himself said was that you should do unto others as you would do unto yourself, and if you love me, you would love your brethren. And that’s really what it stems from.
And if we take that, along with the commandment to not kill, I think it’s pretty clear. It’s unequivocal. There’s no fine print there.
Where Our Tax Dollars Go
When we write that check to the IRS, we often don’t think about where those tax dollars go. According to the American Friends Service Committee, about 57% of those tax dollars are going either to the preparation for war, funding the debt on war, or funding nuclear weapons. 57% of every dollar is an awful lot of money.
If there was indeed a Peace Tax, you would write that check and what the peace tax law would say is, the funds that you’re giving to government are going to be used to support things that are other than war. I think, given our long history as peaceniks, Quakers should definitely have an exception for where their money goes, and anyone else who is a Christian who feels uncomfortable paying for war.
Facing the Consequences
In April of 2009, 11 armed IRS agents in Kevlar vests came into my office and removed all my books and records. And that’s when the prosecution started. I pled guilty to one count of willful failure to file, and told the probation department when I had my interview that I was a Quaker and that did what I did because of conscientious objections to war.
They were pretty lenient on me. They gave me 26 weekends in the county jail, which I’ve completed, and now I’m on probation for 5 years. When I was in the Columbia County jail for my war tax resistance sentence, the Meeting was deeply involved. A lot of people came and visited me, they called me up, they asked me questions, and it was really good. I would say that my spiritual family supported me more than my blood family, which was surprising.
A Step of Faith
Martin Luther King said you don’t need to see the top of the stairs to take the next step. At the time, I felt like there was an important step that needed to be taken, and I took it. Really, it was a step of faith. And, you know, I’m still alive. I’m still here. I still have food. I still have clothing. I still have the support of my children and my Meeting and I think it’s going to be OK.
I’m not unhappy with the decision I took. I won’t say that it hasn’t had its challenges, but I think the challenges have helped me to grow in my faith and have helped to make the world a better place. I know I’ve only done it on a small scale, but I think, with the help of my Meeting and with the growing awareness of the need for peace and a Peace Tax, I’m hoping that this action will shed light and help peace to grow.
I have great respect for someone who can take this bold a step in living their faith and convictions.
While I certainly support acting on one’s beliefs, I’m concerned about details not covered in this presentation which are often part of tax protest or rent strike. Primarily, you escrow or account for and set aside the money. You don’t spend it on your own needs or enterprise.
From the Albany based Times-Union, February 3, 2014
“What did he do with the tax money that was never paid?
“Olejak didn’t have a precise answer for that question. He didn’t track his tax savings, he said, and he didn’t set the money aside or donate it to charity. Much of the money, he supposed, went into his chiropractor practice, helping to cover patients who couldn’t pay for services.”
In the plea agreement, Olejak admits to concealing his ownership of a house in Valatie and his Delmar business property to avoid government liens.
Now, many readers will understandably find Olejak naive or foolhardy or unpatriotic. But even for those willing to accept or admire his decision, there are reasons, I think, to view aspects of Olejak’s approach with skepticism.
He said, for example, that he also didn’t pay state income taxes because the New York form is tied to the federal version. To me, that decision seems based more on laziness than principle.
Also, it’s important to note that 82 PERCENT of the federal budget goes to things other than military spending, according to the Congressional Budget Office. That means Olejak is failing to contribute to many programs — like spending for education and social programs — that are more agreeable to his worldview.
Olejak, who was sentenced by U.S. District Senior Judge Thomas McAvoy, realizes he’s fortunate to only be spending weekends behind bars.”
Thank you, David, for information about more aspects of war tax resistance.
However I have no doubt about Joseph’s courageous witness and his sincerity. It does not seem helpful to the cause to criticise one person’s action and convictions with comments about what else he could/should have done – as well. None of us do everything that can/could be done, but each action adds to a movement.
I am moved by this QS video: thank you to the QS folk.
Joseph O. is such a brave man – the IRS has a reputation for storming into people’s homes with a SWAT-type team.
The movie America Freedom to Fascism investigates the unconstitutionality of the IRS – my link has since disappeared, but you can probably Google the movie (by Aaron Russo)
Was this similar to Arthur Evans, the Quaker physician in Colorado who was imprisoned for 3 months (in Jefferson County Jail) as a result of his refusal to pay taxes for war c.1963?
http://www.warresisters.org/pages/convicted_wtr.htm
Joseph O. has the courage to express his ideas, listen to himself and do what he thinks is right against the authority. I respect him. And I hope one day, a peace tax or a peace department in the US government or military could be established. At least it would makes people to think once more before they start a violent war.
Your courage is an inspiration.