LONDON
The "No Tax for Genocide" campaign, which activists in the UK launched on March 14, calls on people to stop paying taxes to protest and change the British government's stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
Campaign's initiators argue that paying taxes while the government supports Israel is tantamount to "aiding and abetting genocide," which they claim is "illegal" under international and domestic laws.
Activists defend the legality of "tax resistance" based on the UN Charter, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the UK's 2000 Terrorism Act, stating that resisting taxes is legal due to complicity in genocide.
The campaign's primary goal is to convince taxpayers to commit to refuse to pay income and council taxes. Activists estimate that this could deprive the Treasury of around £700 million ($888 million) within a year. Activists aim to persuade some 3 million taxpayers, or about 10% of all British taxpayers, to pressure the government to change course on Gaza.
Once the number of signatories committing to join the campaign reaches 100,000, taxpayers will be asked to inform HM Customs and Revenue Department (HMRC) of their tax withholding plans on the same day. Then, these people will commence paying their taxes to a trust instead of the tax office.
In case the government can prove in court within one year that it is not "an accomplice in war crimes," the taxes will be reimbursed to the HMRC.
Ashish Prashar, co-founder of the campaign, said: "It has been six months since Israel's aggression in Gaza. We have all watched massacre after massacre," adding: "We all can see with our open eyes what is taking place: mass bodies of children being blown to bits, family being torn apart, whole families being wiped out."
Prashar mentioned that people worldwide have been calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza through weekly demonstrations and questioning what more they can do to halt the massacre.
The activist stressed: "The genesis of this campaign is giving the public tools take power into their own hands and actually show politicians who they actually work for. They cannot gaslight us, they cannot ignore us anymore, and they cannot simply carry on this genocidal acts without any accountability."
Prashar also said those responsible are held accountable in international courts, noting: "We are watching massacres and people are tired of watching it. And they want to take control and show these politicians, you cannot carry on doing this in our name with our money."
'Tax resistance is in UK's DNA'
Prashar highlighted that "tax resistance" is in "the UK's DNA," recalling that in the 1980s, then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's attempts to impose taxes prompted mass riots and millions of people refusing to pay taxes.
He also mentioned a recent incident where 3 million people in the UK refused to pay energy bills due to price hikes, noting that they launched this campaign inspired by such resistance movements.
UK business decides to refuse tax
Prashar mentioned that a small business in the UK, whose name he did not disclose, decided to refuse tax payments, stating that they did not want their taxes to contribute to the "genocide" in Gaza and finance the massacre.
Novara Media reported that a representative from HMRC said in a letter sent to the business owner in March, and shared with Novara Media: “There are no provisions for anyone to withhold tax, or decide which part of government expenditure they would like their payments allocated to or excluded from on grounds of conscience, or because they disagree with certain aspects of government spending or action.”
'If possible to stop my taxes supporting the process, I would agree with that'
Speaking to Anadolu about the "No Tax for Genocide," Richard, a taxpayer in the UK, expressed that "the government supports genocide both directly and indirectly, and both parties do as well."
Richard noted: "So, yes, if it was possible to stop my taxes supporting this process, I would really agree with that. I think that's a great campaign."
He said: "If this campaign is implemented properly, the government will be much more likely to listen and would not do all sorts of things across its work that it currently does."
"But I would be very interested if it could apply to help the Palestinian people, because something needs to help them," he added.
HMRC shares government's advice on tax sanctions
Anadolu reporter reached out to HMRC for comments on the campaign and the cessation of tax payments.
In response to this request, HMRC referred the Anadolu reporter to the government's website for advice on what could happen if taxes were not paid.
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas last October, which killed nearly 1,200 people.
More than 31,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and almost 74,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul
