Conscientious Objectors And Taxation

EDM number 116 in 2004-05, proposed by Neil Gerrard on 23/11/2004.

That this House recognises that Parliament has traditionally acknowledged and protected the right of conscientious objectors to avoid complicity in killing in times of compulsory military service; notes that compulsory military service is unlikely to be reintroduced; notes that all taxpayers are currently made complicit in killing by the requirement to pay for war and war preparations via tax contributions; believes that a system should be established to enable those with a conscientious objection to war to perform their civic duty to pay taxes with a clear conscience; and welcomes the action of seven conscientious objectors, the Peace Tax Seven, in seeking a judicial review of the current laws on taxation, which take no account of issues of conscience.

This motion has been signed by a total of 31 MPs.