War Resisters' International has been asked to explain to Inland Revenue why it has not paid a portion of its employees' income tax deductions. Office coordinator Andreas Speck has sent the following letter in response.

The Guardian reported on 25 July on the judicial review of the "Peace Tax Seven" to guarantee the right to conscientious objection against military taxation:

'A group of conscientious objectors today lost a high court bid to stop their taxes being put toward military spending.

The "peace tax seven", backed by more than 50 supporters, asked Mr Justice Collins, sitting in London, for permission to seek a judicial review of a continuing government refusa

In September 2001, shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the WRI Council issued its "Say No!" statement, urging "all those who pay tax: demand that your taxes are used for peace, withhold the proportion of tax used for war, Say No!" Back from the meeting the then WRI staff decided to practice what WRI was calling for, and asked the WRI Executive (as employers) to withhold the proportion of their income tax used to fund war. This was implemented from January 2002 on and continues until today.

While the new Spanish government has withdrawn troops from Iraq, Spanish troops remain in Afghanistan and on hand for further interventions. Weapons factories; the traffic in arms; the distortion of scientific research ... There is no underlying change. Yet if it seems that our protests are ignored, more than we imagine we have in our own hands the possibility to counter the pervasive influence of militarism.