A GWENT woman says she is prepared to go to jail rather than foot the bill for military spending.

Marie Walsh, 49, from Blackwood, faces court action for withholding the ten per cent of her income tax she says is spent on our armed forces.

Mediation teacher Ms Walsh, who helps resolve disputes, said: "I have a conscientious objection to war. I want the right to pay that proportion of my tax into a fund to prevent conflict without military means.

"At the moment I would be prepared to go to prison."

Her protest began in January 2003 following the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. She has so far withheld £134.45 on the self-employed part of her earnings and last month received a letter from the Inland Revenue demanding payment and threatening legal proceedings.She is also liable for interest payments on the unpaid debt.

Ms Walsh has paid the withheld money to charities promoting peace, including CND, Voices in the Wilderness and a peace volunteer force for Wales.

The Inland Revenue has the right to seize personal property to the value of the debt.

A spokesperson for the Inland Revenue said: "It is not possible for taxpayers to decide which part of government expenditure they would like their payments to be allocated. All tax receipts go into a pool and are not earmarked for any particular purpose.

"We appreciate the deeply held convictions of those who object to part of their taxes being spent on the military but the government cannot support a change of policy to allow conscientious objectors to have the military portion of their taxes spent on non-military causes."

Ms Walsh's protest is part of a larger national movement led by a group of protesters called the Peace Tax Seven.