Ed Hedemann hasn’t paid federal income taxes since 1970. The Brooklyn freelancer received a draft notice for Vietnam a year earlier and refused his induction because he didn’t believe in war or killing people. Once he began working, he realized he didn’t want to fund the military with his paycheck either.
“I was thinking, ‘Well, it’s a little inconsistent for me to refuse induction, refuse to go into the military, yet pay taxes that would fund other people to go into the military,” the 81-year-old told Fortune. He estimates he’s withheld roughly $85,000 from the federal government over the decades.
