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Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter
I'm looking for the site, and the numbers...but I've gotta duck out for awhile.
Suffice it to say, we aren't just talking about income taxes here....and I'm talking about OVERALL costs for services given to illegals (as a group), compared to OVERALL revenues from all taxes paid by illegals. It's pretty clearly a net gain, according to the stuff I've seen.
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From what I remember, that's true of LEGAL immigrants. The data for illegals is, of course, spotty at best.
Here's something:
Although immigrants receive less assistance from the federal government, the average immigrant family pays more in taxes than the average American-born family. The SIE reported in 1976 that the average American-born family paid $3,008 in taxes per year. In comparison, immigrant families who had been in the United States 10 years or less paid $3,369. Those living here 11 to15 years paid $3,564 and those here 16 to 25 years paid $3,592. Also, a 1996 Heritage Foundation study reported that immigrant men had a slightly higher labor force participation rate than American-born men (77 percent vs. 74 percent), so a larger proportion paid employment-related taxes. Among the largest group of recent immigrants - Hispanics - the proportion of men who work was 83 percent.
All numbers mentioned above are for legal immigrants. However, the available numbers for illegal immigrants, while spotty, do not show a negative economic effect. A 1995 Cato Institute study found that illegal immigrants paid approximately 46 percent as much in taxes as American-born citizens, but they received only 38 percent as much from the government. Also, contrary to popular belief, the majority of illegal immigrants were not destitute fence-jumpers but were middle-class tourists or students who overstayed their visas.