Tax day is this Tuesday. The Internal Revenue Service is expected to take in over $2 trillion dollars this year. Nearly 40 percent of that total will go to military related expenses. Tax resisters across the country are planning to withhold part or all of their taxes to protest the war. We speak with Pamela Schwartz of the National Priorities Project and Runn Benn of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. [includes rush transcript]

With tax day less than a week away, millions of Americans are preparing to send checks to the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS is expected to take in over two trillion dollars this year. Nearly 40 percent of that total will go to military related expenses. This according to a new report by the National Priorities Project. The research group estimates 27 percent of your federal taxes will be pay for current military spending including the war in Iraq. An additional nine percent will help pay off debt from past wars and military expenses. And another three percent covers benefits for veterans.

While Pentagon spending is reaching the highest levels since World War II, some Americans are personally refusing to fund the military. Tax resisters across the country are planning to withhold part or all of their taxes to protest the war. Two guests join me now to talk more about war and taxes.

• Pamela Schwartz. Communications director at the National Priorities Project. She joins us from Chicopee, Massachusetts. Website: Cost of War.com
• Ruth Benn. Coordinator of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee and co-author of the book “War Tax Resistance: A Guide To Withholding Your Support From The Military.”
• Special thanks to Robbie Leppzer and Turning Tide Productions for providing video used in this segment.