5 Notable American Tax Protestors

Since the time of our founding fathers (you know, the ones with the tea in the harbor and the complaints about that whole taxation without representation thing?) there have been more than a few Americans who took a stand against the man and said read my lips, no more taxes. Some have good reasons "“ after all, Mahatma Gandhi advocated tax protestation as a quick and nonviolent way to bring down a government "“ and some have really dumb reasons. So, in the spirit of tax season, here are a few of the country's most notable tax protestors.

1. Julia "Butterfly" Hill

Julia "Butterfly" Hill, an environmental activist best known for the 738 days she lived in a California redwood tree in an effort to keep the Pacific Logging Company from cutting it down, is also what's called a war-tax resister. In 2003, Hill refused to pay her taxes, instead sending the money that she would have paid to nonprofit social service and environmental organizations, in a effort to speak out against the war in Iraq. "Thousands of others before me have taken this stand," she said at the time. "I have thought through this very carefully, and with a clear mind and heart I am humanely re-directing my tax payments to where they belong, because our current federal government refuses to do so."

2. Ed & Elaine Brown

That, however, was not the case. On October 4, 2007, federal marshals, posing as supporters of the Browns, lured the couple out on to the front porch, where they arrested them without incident. Ed and Elaine Brown are currently serving out their respective sentences, Ed in a US penitentiary in Illinois and Elaine at a federal medical center near Ft. Worth, Texas.

3. Vivien Kellems

4. Wesley Snipes

5. Charles Merrill