National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund Report

The board of NCPTF met on May 16 and 17 at Davis House in Washington, DC. Several visitors and new board member, Robert Brooks, were present along with most of the regular members. The milieu of the war in Iraq has proven to be beneficial for NCPTF in that our message of conscience is often better received than at other times. The increasing costs and blunders in Iraq have brought more people to our website and made some members of Congress more open to our message. Certainly, that will not mean immediate passage of the bill but it does enhance our efforts on Capitol Hill.

One of the more exciting happenings in regard to NCPTF legislation is taking place in New York City. Councilman Bill Perkins is about to introduce a resolution calling for the New York City Council to support the Peace Tax Fund legislation. He has had resolutions on Iraq and the nuclear freeze passed in the Council in the past. He has been working hard with NCPTF staff and Riverside Church in New York City in preparation for this resolution. It is expected that it will be introduced in the next week or so, with possible passage sometime this summer. The import of this support lies in the possibility of exporting this type of action to many other cities in the US. If it is passed by the New York City Council, Perkins and NCPTF will actively work to get it introduced in a number of other cities. Eventually, it is hoped that this grass-roots action might prove to be the impetus needed to get Congress to look more seriously at the Peace Tax Fund bill. It is one of the most promising activities we have seen in recent years.

NCPTF is probably in its best financial shape in years. Several bequests have given us reserve funds that will guarantee future activity. The Iraq War has also brought more financial support to NCPTF as people look for alternatives to war and military spending. We have also been actively contacting a number of people who have made interest-free loans to NCPTF in the past and have asked them to consider forgiving the loans and making them a contribution to the Campaign. Nearly 2/3 of these loans have been made into contributions to the organization. This has helped our bottom line as well. We have begun to embark on a plan for the next 5-10 years and will be spending time at an extended board meeting/retreat in November addressing where we would like to be ten years from now. Part of that plan will include expanded staffing in order to better handle the objectives of the Campaign. We have been hampered by the fact that we don't have enough people to do what needs to be done. Hopefully, we will be able to address that problem in the future.

Present staff include Marian Franz, Executive Director; Tim Godshall, Director of Outreach & Development; Jennifer Beale, Staff Assistant, and Kelsey Knight-King, Intern. The staff has done a remarkable job in carrying out lobbying, education and development. However, they need more help to be able to do the grass-roots organizing needed to move the legislation along. As I said, this will be addressed at the next meeting.

I continue to serve as the Chairperson of the Board and am grateful to Mennonite Church USA for the continued travel support which enables me to represent MC USA in this endeavor. It is with your support and others that we are able to continue to witness to the rights of conscience and religious freedom that Mennonites have adhered to for many decades. Once again, thank you for our support of this endeavor.