INCOME TAX AND MILITARY ACTIVITY

That this House recognises that addressing the root causes of conflict is a social, ethical and economic imperative for the 21st century and that Britain is a world leader in sponsoring initiatives designed to prevent and resolve conflicts through a range of mechanisms including the Conflict Pool, thus greatly contributing to global peace and security through non-military means; further recognises previous legislation for individuals of conscience to opt-out of military conscription, but those same individuals do not have the same right to opt-out of paying for, through the tax system, military activity that would go against their conscience; and notes that this dilemma can be resolved by enabling citizens to direct the proportion of their income tax that goes to the military to be placed in a non-military security fund, such as the Conflict Pool and its successors, thus allowing all taxpayers to be able to contribute their taxes with a clear conscience.