Who is John Hayes?

May 1982

Reprinted below is an article describing the efforts of Peterborough Libertarian activist John Hayes to challenge the withholding provisions of the Income Tax Act. The article is available as a pamphlet from the Libertarian Party of Canada. Ask for one and give it to your employer.

He is Facing Up to Revenue Canada. He Refuses to be Their Tax Collector.

Since November 13, 1981 John Hayes of Peterborough has ceased to be a tax collector. The twelve employees of his Site Investigation Services have been receiving two paycheques: one for their regular take-home pay and one for the income tax normally withheld from them. John Hayes is entrusting his employees with their own money because he doesn't want to be a thief any longer. He realizes that he is not playing by the government's rules, but the game was rigged from the beginning. His choice was to do what he knows is right, from now on he won't be intimidated by them.

Instead, he has invoiced the government for all of the accounting work he has had to do for them so far. He doesn't think that he should be forced to work for Ottawa, especially without getting paid for it. Nor does he accept responsibility for the personal affairs of his employees - their tax obligations are theirs, not his. In any case, John argues that the interest from income tax deductions rightfully belongs to his employees, not to him or to the government: why should he keep money that doesn't belong to him?

Revenue Canada is quite upset at losing their grip on John Hayes. Their chief collections officers are after him, so far they are "officially" acting as if John had personally absconded with the money. This is despite the fact that his employees are sending in the tax deductions themselves. The government has moved in with its heavy artillery: his business bank account has been frozen, some of his accounts receivable have been seized, and a 10% fine has been levied against the firm.

John Hayes is determined to outlast them; he is keeping Site Investigation Services going despite the restrictions and threats. John Hayes is no criminal: his activities are public and above-board. He intends to take Revenue Canada to court and try to garner as much public support as possible. Several letters of his to the tax men have been eagerly reprinted by local newspapers. As well, editorials supporting him have appeared in the Peterborough Examiner, the Kingston Whig-Standard, and the French-language Toronto L'Express. Soon everyone will have heard about John Hayes: the man who won't be enslaved.

"It had always bothered me that you could force me... to be your tax collector... You have made me into a thief, a special kind of thief admittedly, but a thief nevertheless. I am sorry that I've done your dirty work all these years, by there's not much I can do about that now. From here on in, however, I have resolved to turn over a new leaf." -John Hayes