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13-Mar-2002

Conscience India objects to "Security Surcharge"

by: Conscience India/PN staff reporter

India: In the list of items for revenue collections proposed by the Indian Finance Minister in the proposed budget for the financial year 2002-2003, there is an item called a "Security Surcharge". Conscience India say that this is a method of raising funds for defence expenditure through a direct tax. In a way, Conscience India argue, it is a proposal for imposing a ‘War Tax’, adding that there has never been a tax proposal like it within previous budgets.

In a public letter to the Indian prime minister, Conscience India stated that they were "an international group of Conscientious Objectors which is opposed to the cult of war taxes, war mania and wars" adding that "We, on humanitarian grounds, strongly object to this trend of globally escalating expenditures on armaments and armies in the name of the ‘defence and security of the country’".

They then called on the Indian government to "reconsider imposing this ‘hidden war tax’ in the name of security, and instead propose that the government should create a fund for promoting ‘diplomacy of peace building programs’".

War Tax Resistance and Peace Tax Campaign (WTR&PTC) is a worldwide movement of ordinary peace loving citizens, for building a peaceful and nonviolent world order and members of the WTR&PTC have been organising nonviolent resistance against governments that impose war taxes. This movement has been working in many parts of the world for the last 18 years and involving thousands of peace loving people.

Contact
Conscience India
Gandhi-in-Action
Constructive Workers' Home, B-29, Mangal Pandey Marg, Bhajanpura, New Delhi-110053, India (tel +11 226 8415; email gandhi_in_action@vsnl.com).

You can find more information about international war tax and peace tax campaigns at http://cpti.ws/