 September/October 2001 (XXXIX 4) |
hiladelphia Yearly Meeting has declined a levy from the Internal Revenue Service to garnish the salary of an employee who refuses to pay federal income taxes because they go for preparations for war.
The case involves Priscilla Adams of Haddonfield Meeting (NJ), who has worked for PYM since 1985 as peace field secretary for Haddonfield Quarterly Meeting.
On April 11, 2001, the IRS sent a Notice of Levy to PYM asking for garnishment of Priscilla's salary to satisfy tax debt from 1986 through 1996. This debt is a result of her conscientious religious witness for peace.
The PYM Policy on Military Tax Refusal by PYM Employees and IRS Levies and Other Collection Efforts, approved by Yearly Meeting in 1988, says "conscientious objection to paying taxes for military purposes is an appropriate and traditional individual expression of Friends Peace Testimony. … Matters relating to military tax refusal should be resolved directly between the taxpayer and the IRS."
Interim Meeting on May 24 approved not submitting to the IRS levy. A letter to the IRS from Interim Meeting dated June 6 says, "We write to respectfully request that you not require us to act as your collection agent in this matter, something we cannot do as a matter of religious principle and good conscience."
Previously, Priscilla Adams had pursued a lawsuit seeking an accommodation that would allow her to pay taxes without supporting the military. That case ended in January 2000 when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear her appeal, which was supported by PYM with a friend-of-the-court brief.
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM