FARMINGTON – The facts and fears of war-tax boycotting will be addressed in a panel discussion presented by the Western Mountains Peace Action Workshop.

The discussion, titled Why Isn’t Everyone Who’s for Peace a War Tax Resistor?, will be held at 6:30 p.m. today in Room 202 of Ricker Addition at the University of Maine at Farmington.

A panel including Eileen Kreutz of Industry, Eileen Liddy of Wilton, Henry Braun of Weld and Larry Dansinger of Monroe will discuss their present and past experiences of withholding all or part of their federal taxes as a protest. The options of war-tax resistance, which range from symbolic amounts, such as $50 or $100, to refusing to pay all of the federal tax, will be addressed. The panel will also present ways to redirect the tax money, Liddy said Friday.

“I’m fed up with the war, and I want to do something more. As a citizen I have the right and obligation to do this,” she said.

Nonviolent civil disobedience is a part of the nation’s history, she added, citing the Boston Tea Party and the ideas of Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Liddy wants to send a message to the government and the Maine congressional delegation to stop funding the war.

“There are ways to do it safely, even with just smaller amounts,” she said, quoting author Anita Roderick: “If you don’t think small things do make a difference, then you’ve never been in bed with a mosquito.”

War-tax boycotters are part of a growing movement of taxpayers led by the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, she said.

But people need to be aware and plan accordingly, Liddy said. The panelists will share their own experiences to help those interested.

In the 1980s, Liddy withheld a percentage of her income tax and put the amount in an escrow account. She sent a letter with her tax file stating she was not paying a percentage of the military fund and ended up with a refund, she said. Later she was audited and taken to court for filing a frivolous tax return. She lost the case and was then responsible for penalties and fees, she said.

The discussion is free and open to all. For more information, contact Liddy at 645-4755.