El Salvador: Information on "war taxes", demanded from civilians, either by guerrilla groups or the military
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SLV3259 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, El Salvador: Information on "war taxes", demanded from civilians, either by guerrilla groups or the military, 1 December 1989, SLV3259, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab8a78.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The collection of "war tax" has been a reasonably common form of financing the guerrilla cause since the beginning of the civil war in El Salvador in 1980. [ Americas Watch Committee, The Civilian Toll 1986-87, (New York: Americas Watch Committee Publications, 1987) p. 125. and Americas Watch Committee, Settling Into Routine, (New York: Americas Watch Committee Publications, 1986) p. 70.] As recently as April 11 1989 the Globe and Mail quoting a rebel indicated that the guerrilla forces send "... letters to the owners of these farms asking them to raise the workers salaries ... [and] [i]f the grower doesn't pay what we say, we'll burn his farm or destroy his property." [ "Guerrilla forces in El Salvador stepping up activities near cities", The Globe and Mail, [Toronto], 11 April 1989, p. A17.]
However, there is no information available at present to the IRBDC, indicating the form of payment or even if payments are standardized in any way.
As far as the military is concerned, according to Joel Millman "Colonels ... rent out soldiers ... to guard coffee plantations, factories and bus lines, charging from $200 to $300 per man per month." [Joel Millman, "El Salvador's Army: A Force Unto Itself", The New York Times Magazine, December 10, 1989, p.95.] No further corroborating information is available at present to the IRBDC.