ProbityCo
Make War History
Make Peace Permanent
Responsible Taxation and International Law
In 2001 the UK Government ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court by enacting the International Criminal Court Act and the International Criminal Court (Scotland) Act. These two laws make is a criminal offence in the UK for any person to engage in war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and conduct ancillary to those crimes, such as aiding, abetting counselling or procuring the commission of an offence. This includes the collection of taxes that will be used in the commission of such crimes. It is our lawful duty not to be complicit in funding such crimes via our taxes.
The US and UK have provided direct military assistance to and political cover for Israel during its genocide, in which it has killed thousands of Palestinian civillians, while the Starmer regime in the UK is targeting journalists and activists who draw attention to and oppose Israel’s war crimes.
With 124 votes in favour, 43 abstentions and only 12 votes against (including Israel and the US) the UN has now demanded that Israel ends its unlawful presence in Palestinian territories within 12 months. In addition, a team of forty-seven South African lawyers is finalising its lawsuit against the UK and US for their complicity in Israel’s genocide and other war crimes against Palestinians, stating:
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'...No one says stop, enough is enough. What happened in Iraq is an example of this; no one held the US accountable for the crimes it committed...The US must now be held accountable for the crimes it has committed'.
A History of Tax Rebellion
Tax rebellion has been the single most important principle underlying all the successful rebellions in history. Magna Carta started with a tax rebellion, the English civil war, American independence, French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, Gandhi’s salt tax rebellions and the Glasgow women's rent strike of 1915.
The American war tax resister Henry David Thoreau lectured on 'The Rights and Duties of the Individual in relation to Government' and penned Civil Disobedience the philosophy of which influenced Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jnr.
In Britain The Peace Tax 7, believed that having the right to conscientiously object to taxes being spent on war preparation would enable citizens to influence the way their country approached conflict in the world. Their conscience, ethics and morality were not recognised by the so-called courts of justice.
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The problem therefore remains: What is a taxpayer to do when the government is in breach of international law to avoid being complicit in the crimes of government. Please read this statement by Chris Coverdale.
Who We Are
ProbityCo is an independent, voluntary group of people from across Britain who advocate for war tax resistance. We believe that so long as our government is unwilling to uphold those international (ratified) laws to which it is a signatory, the responsibility to uphold those laws falls on us, the British taxpayer.
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Our stance is clear: Our taxes should not finance illegal wars, which would constitute a crime under international law, but should instead support peace and justice. ProbityCo stands with those who refuse to fund aggression and who demand accountability from our leaders. Together, we can ensure that our actions and contributions remain within the bounds of international law, while holding those in power to account.
What We Do
We offer information, advice, support and resources for individuals who are interested in the principle of responsible taxation and/or are actively refusing to pay tax for war. We are not lawyers, legal or financial advisors and the content on this website is not intended as legal or financial advice. While we can provide information and guidance, we encourage you to do your own research on these issues and if necessary seek professional advice.
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ProbityCo - Make War History
For many years, Chris Coverdale, the founder member of ProbityCo, has refused to contribute his tax to Britain's illegal wars. His ethical concerns about his government’s role in these wars led him to challenge the use of taxpayer money for such purposes.
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However, in 2014 a judge deemed his arguments 'frivolous' and sentenced Chris to jail three times—in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
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Chris then discovered that thousands of the UK's wealthiest individuals use trusts to withhold tax without facing imprisonment – a trust is a legal arrangement to ensure that assets go to named beneficiaries. Chris decided to place his tax in a revocable trust. Using this mechanism, taxes are set aside for HM Government (the primary beneficiary of the trust) until such time that the government can prove that none of the funds will be used to support war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide. Should they be unable to do so, they forfeit their right to access the monies, the trust can be terminated and the money donated to other causes.
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To date, this approach has worked for Chris. The demands have been reduced considerably and Chris remains a free man because he is no longer willfully refusing to pay tax, just setting his taxes aside until such time that the government can prove his taxes will not be used to fund war crimes.
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Chris Coverdale is a behavioural scientist, peace campaigner and former governance consultant.
After 30 years working as an organisation development advisor, he changed course and now focuses on exposing the corrupt practices that allow Britain to violate international law and wage unlawful wars of aggression.
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Chris set up ProbityCo to help others who wished to avoid complicity in such crimes, to withhold their taxes using a recognised mechanism, until the government learns to abide by those ratified International laws & treaties to which it is a signatory.
What Happens After I Set Aside My Taxes?
As the UK government is in breach of international and domestic law (the government doesn't need to be found guilty in a court of law to be deemed to be acting illegally [R v Letts]), it is our lawful duty to withhold our taxes when we know they are to be used in the commission of a crime. Withholding taxes is a civil matter, taken up in the local Magistrate's Court, whereas the government's actions are criminal.
The HMRC and the Councils treat the Trust as a complaint. The Council will continue to send summonses and issue liability orders (currently unenforceable under Leighton vs. Bristow & Sutor) and the HMRC will tell you that 'as the law stands, it is not possible for taxpayers to decide which part of the government expenditure they would like their payments allocated to'. This legislation is what needs to change if we are to hold the government to account. As Edward Snowden says: 'When exposing a crime is treated like a crime, you are being ruled by criminals'.
NOTE: Bailiffs cannot enter your home without a valid court order (take note of real and fake seals) and even with a valid court order, they need your permission to enter your premises. In other words, you have the right to refuse entry to everyone but the gas board in the case of a suspected gas leak.
Viewer discretion advised; Images of violence and cruelty
IS
ENOUGH
ENOUGH
WE NEED TO
STOP FUNDING GENOCIDE
Under international law the use of armed force is only lawful when a State is under attack by the armed forces of another State and needs to defend itself and repel its attackers. All other forms of war are illegal. The International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (1999) which has been ratified into UK Law states that:
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'Any person commits an offence, if that person by any means, directly or indirectly, unlawfully and wilfully, provides or collects funds in the knowledge that they are to be used, in full or in part, in order to carry out any act intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any other person when the purpose of such act is to intimidate a population…’
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If a taxpayer gives money to a tax collector such as a council, HMRC, the DVLA or a business charging VAT knowing that some of it will be passed to the Ministry of Defence to fund wars of aggression, he or she may be found guilty of acting unlawfully. With the current UK government unwilling to reveal ongoing advice from lawyers, and multiple NGOs, lawyers, civil servants, judges, charities and even those working for arms companies – already voicing their concerns and refusing to be complicit – the responsibility of ethical taxation lies solely at the door of the taxpayer.
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This site provides information on how to set aside taxes for the government until such time that the government is no longer in breach of domestic and international law & willing to use the taxes responsibly - for the benefit of the taxpayer.
In the short film below, Chris Coverdale explains how to set aside your taxes in a conditional, revocable trust.
Where Do Our Taxes Go?
All taxes collected in the UK, for example council tax, VAT, stamp duty and vehicle tax are directed to Parliament's Consolidated Fund and bank accounts run by the government. While much of this is spent on the NHS, education, welfare and local government, between 5-10% of this fund is used to finance military operations, through the Ministry of Defence, therefore every £100 that is paid in tax or indirect taxes contributes £5-£10 towards war. Another 10% goes towards paying interest on the national debt, which includes costs incurred from previous conflicts.
Since 1945 the UK has been directly involved in 83 illegal military interventions worldwide, causing the direct and indirect deaths of at least eight million people. Since 2001, British governments has spent £1.2 trillion of taxpayers money fighting or supporting illegal wars against smaller, weaker, undefended nation states, killing 1.2 million adults and 600,000 children, injuring many more and driving 15,000,000 refugees into exile and destitution.
Britain continues to invest in multiple illegal conflicts worldwide, including the sale of military supplies to Israel, an occupying force which has violated international law since its 'recognition' by 33 member countries of the UN in 1947. Foreign and Commonwealth Office lawyers have warned the government their actions are in breach of international law.
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National debt currently stands at £2.975 trillion and increases by £5,170 per second. 6.7 million people are in financial difficulty and 14.4 million people live in poverty of which 4.2 million are children. The interest on our national debt is 116BN and we pay a further £68BN to the MOD which combined equates to £6,560 per UK household.
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Pie charts B.1 and B.2 below illustrate taxes collected and public spending. Image 3 shows how taxes spent on war could be reallocated to benefit the taxpayer and their communities.
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Support ProbityCo
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A big thank you to everyone who has supported ProbityCo so far.
If you would like to support Chris's campaign to ensure our taxes are used ethically and responsibly, please visit the contributions page.
PROBITY: RISKS AND BENEFITS
Understandably the most frequently expressed inquiry concerns the risks one runs if one faces HMRC and Councils with one’s individual Declaration and Deed. What is the success rate, if there is one?
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So far, nobody has been brought to court on the basis of the Trust Deed. What is becoming clear is that authorities are ignoring this document and proceeding with tax collection.
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It appears that Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is currently hesitant or unwilling to pursue legal action regarding the Trust Deed issue in court. For HMRC, the decision to challenge this matter in court involves weighing the potential benefits against the risks, especially if other legal actions are brought against the UK government concerning its activities in Gaza, the West Bank, and Yemen. Should these actions find the government in breach of ratified international law or acting unlawfully, it could complicate matters further.
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If a court case arises concerning the setting aside of taxes that are known to be funding war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide, any judge who might consider ruling in favor of HMRC would face a challenging scenario. Such a ruling would effectively need to assert that current legislation can legally compel taxpayers to financially support activities deemed illegal or criminal under international law. This would raise fundamental questions about the legality and morality of collecting taxpayer funds to invest in wars of aggression and the methods of collection.
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Remember: It is the government that is breaking international law.
Those who set aside their taxes in a Trust are neither bankrupt nor willfully refusing to pay taxes; after all, the UK Government is the Primary Beneficiary. The funds remain theirs, provided they can demonstrate adherence to the international agreements they have ratified.
This method is not about evading responsibility, on the contrary; the aim is to ensure the government fulfills its commitments to international law and protect the taxpayer from complicity. As established during the Nuremberg Trials, the defence of "just following orders" does not absolve individuals or institutions from accountability when those orders contravene legal or ethical standards.
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Note on council tax Liability Orders:
In the case of Leighton v Bristow & Sutor 2023. The council instructed debt collectors to act without providing them with a valid authority in the shape of a court order, rendering the debt collectors impotent. On 21st September, the High Court in KBD Swansea ruled in favour of Mr. Leighton, awarding him £4,000 against debt collectors Bristow & Sutor, who were acting in conjunction with the City of York Council. The case exposed an unlawful Council Tax debt collection process for which Mr. Leighton was entitled to damages.
This is now case law.
ProbityCo is fully compliant with GDPR requirements for protecting our customers' personal data
The content appearing on this website is not intended as, and shall not be relied upon as, legal advice. It is general in nature and may not reflect all recent legal developments. ProbityCo is not a law firm and an attorney-client relationship is not formed through your use of this website.
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