Conscientious Objection From Taxes For Military Purposes

EDM number 1658 in 2005-06, proposed by Linda Riordan on 15/02/2006.

That this House notes that on 2nd March 1916 all unmarried men aged 18 to 41 years were deemed to have enlisted in the British Army as a consequence of the Military Service Act 1916 which simultaneously introduced compulsory military service and the right to conscientious objection to military service to Great Britain for the first time; recognises that all taxpayers currently contribute a portion of their taxes to the military with no means to object on grounds of conscience; believes that 90 years after the right to withhold one's physical service to the military was first recognised by Parliament at the height of the First World War, a system to enable conscientious objectors to war not to contribute financially to the military via their taxes should be established; supports the principle of conscientious objection as a basic human right; and therefore believes the military portion of tax contributions from conscientious objectors to war should be directed to a Government-controlled fund specifically for promoting peace and security without violence.

This motion has been signed by a total of 25 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.