• READERS may be surprised to know that each of them will contribute an average of £500 towards the deliberate killing of others this year.

On March 24 the Taxes for Peace Bill is due to be debated in parliament; although, due to parliamentary pressure, the bill is unlikely to receive the debate it deserves.

This bill would allow anyone who considers themselves a conscientious objector to war to redirect the military portion of their taxes towards non-violent means of ensuring national security.

It would appear to me, in a world where money is short and so many people are in dire need, where famine stalks Africa and refugees are dying on borders, the last thing we need is to spend more money on more wars which don’t solve anything.

We need to have a national conversation about our financial complicity in state violence.

We get the world we pay for. So let’s pay for peace, justice and security for all UK citizens, without resorting to violence.

As Desmond Tutu said, those who want peace must work as hard as those who want war. My own interest in it comes partly from my background with the Quakers, who among many other religious groups undertook non-violent service in defence of the state during both world wars.

If you believe in a vision of taxes for peace join the Conscience campaign today at www.ConscienceOnline.org.uk, where you can also watch Mark Rylance explaining his decision to back this campaign.

SHEILA HAYMAN, NW1