Jakarta, PajakOnline – Tax Payer Community menyatakan sikap menuntut penghentian segera perang yang terjadi di sejumlah negara, termasuk yang terbaru agresi militer Amerika Serikat dan Israel di Iran.
“Kami menegaskan bahwa uang pajak rakyat bukan untuk membiayai perang, melainkan untuk meningkatkan kesejahteraan rakyat di negaranya masing-masing, memperkuat pelayanan publik, dan membangun masa depan yang lebih aman dan sejahtera,” kata Ketua Tax Payer Community Abdul Koni dalam siaran pers kepada PajakOnline hari ini.
Para pembayar pajak tentu tidak rela uangnya, sambung Koni, dipergunakan untuk membuat kerusakan di muka bumi ini apalagi sampai menghilangkan nyawa umat manusia.
Pernyataan ini disampaikan seiring dengan aksi unjuk rasa damai yang berlangsung di Times Square, New York City, di mana ribuan warga Amerika Serikat berkumpul menyuarakan penolakan terhadap eskalasi agresi militer di Iran. Para demonstran membawa poster bertuliskan “Stop the War” dan “Tax Dollars for People, Not War”, menyerukan agar konflik segera dihentikan dan penyelesaian ditempuh melalui jalur diplomasi.
Uang Pajak untuk Kesejahteraan, Bukan Peperangan
Sebagai organisasi advokasi masyarakat pembayar pajak di seluruh dunia, Tax Payer Community menilai bahwa penggunaan anggaran publik untuk membiayai operasi militer luar negeri bertentangan dengan prinsip akuntabilitas fiskal dan kepentingan rakyat banyak.
Setiap tahun, anggaran pertahanan Amerika Serikat mencapai ratusan miliar dolar. Dalam situasi ekonomi yang masih menghadapi tekanan inflasi, kenaikan biaya hidup, krisis perumahan, serta kebutuhan reformasi layanan kesehatan dan pendidikan, pengeluaran perang berpotensi memperbesar defisit dan mengalihkan sumber daya dari kebutuhan domestik yang mendesak.
“Rakyat Amerika bekerja keras dan membayar pajak dengan harapan dana tersebut digunakan untuk memperbaiki kualitas hidup mereka, bukan untuk memperluas konflik bersenjata di luar negeri. Perang hanya melahirkan penderitaan, bukan solusi,” kata Koni.
Dampak Kemanusiaan dan Ekonomi Global
Perang di Iran telah meningkatkan ketegangan geopolitik di kawasan Timur Tengah dan memicu ketidakpastian global. Eskalasi militer berisiko menimbulkan korban sipil dan krisis kemanusiaan yang meluas, gangguan stabilitas kawasan, lonjakan harga energi global akibat ketegangan di sekitar Selat Hormuz. Tekanan tambahan terhadap perekonomian global dan domestik akan terus terjadi.
Ketidakpastian geopolitik berdampak langsung pada pasar energi dan keuangan internasional. Kenaikan harga minyak mentah global berpotensi meningkatkan harga bahan bakar dalam negeri, memperburuk inflasi, serta menambah beban masyarakat berpenghasilan rendah dan kelas menengah.
Suara Rakyat adalah Suara Demokrasi
Menurut Tax Payer Community, aksi di Times Square mencerminkan meningkatnya kesadaran publik bahwa perang bukanlah jalan keluar. Warga menyerukan agar pemerintah dan United States Congress menjalankan fungsi pengawasan secara tegas dan memastikan bahwa setiap penggunaan anggaran militer dilakukan secara sah, transparan, dan dengan pertimbangan matang atas kepentingan nasional.
Oleh karena itu, Tax Payer Community mendesak:
-Penghentian segera eskalasi militer di Iran;
-Prioritas pada diplomasi dan negosiasi damai;
-Pengalihan anggaran perang untuk kebutuhan rakyat, termasuk pendidikan, kesehatan, infrastruktur, dan stabilitas ekonomi domestik.
Perang tidak pernah membawa kemenangan absolut. Yang ada hanyalah penderitaan manusia, kerusakan sosial, dan beban ekonomi jangka panjang.
Uang pajak adalah amanah rakyat. Amanah itu harus digunakan untuk kehidupan, bukan kehancuran.
Hentikan perang! Lindungi kehidupan. Gunakan uang pajak untuk kesejahteraan rakyat.
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Tax Payer Community: Tax Revenue Is Not for War
The Tax Payer Community declares its firm position demanding the immediate cessation of wars occurring in various countries, including the most recent military aggression by the United States and Israel in Iran.
“We firmly assert that taxpayers’ money is not intended to finance war, but rather to enhance the welfare of citizens in their respective countries, strengthen public services, and build a safer and more prosperous future,” stated Abdul Koni, Chairman of the Tax Payer Community.
Taxpayers, Koni continued, are certainly unwilling for their hard-earned contributions to be used to cause destruction on this earth, let alone to take human lives.
This statement was issued in conjunction with a peaceful demonstration held in Times Square, New York City, where thousands of American citizens gathered to voice their opposition to the escalation of military aggression in Iran.
Demonstrators carried signs reading “Stop the War” and “Tax Dollars for People, Not War,” urging that the conflict be brought to an immediate end and that solutions be pursued through diplomatic channels.
Tax Revenue for Public Welfare, Not Warfare
As a global advocacy organization representing taxpayers, the Tax Payer Community views the use of public budgets to finance overseas military operations as contrary to the principles of fiscal accountability and the broader public interest.
Each year, the United States allocates hundreds of billions of dollars to its defense budget. At a time when the economy continues to face inflationary pressures, rising living costs, housing challenges, and the urgent need for reforms in healthcare and education, war expenditures risk widening fiscal deficits and diverting critical resources from pressing domestic priorities.
“American citizens work diligently and pay their taxes with the expectation that those funds will improve their quality of life, not expand armed conflicts abroad. War produces suffering, not solutions,” Koni emphasized.
Humanitarian and Global Economic Consequences
The war in Iran has heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and fueled global uncertainty. Continued military escalation risks:
Civilian casualties and a widespread humanitarian crisis; Regional instability; Surging global energy prices due to tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz; Additional pressure on both the global and domestic economies.
Geopolitical uncertainty directly affects international energy and financial markets. Rising global crude oil prices may lead to higher domestic fuel costs, exacerbate inflation, and impose heavier burdens on low- and middle-income communities.
The Voice of the People Is the Voice of Democracy
According to the Tax Payer Community, the demonstration in Times Square reflects a growing public awareness that war is not the answer. Citizens are calling upon the government and the United States Congress to exercise firm oversight and ensure that any use of military funding is lawful, transparent, and carefully considered in accordance with the national interest.
Accordingly, the Tax Payer Community urges:
-The immediate cessation of military escalation in Iran;
-The prioritization of diplomacy and peaceful negotiations;
-The reallocation of war budgets toward essential public needs, including education, healthcare, infrastructure, and domestic economic stability.
War never brings absolute victory. It yields only human suffering, social destruction, and long-term economic burdens.
Tax revenue is a public trust. That trust must be used to sustain life—not to finance devastation.
End the war! Protect human life. Direct tax dollars toward the welfare of the people.
