December 7, 2015

Washington Examiner: Illegal immigration trips up tax deal

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The improper payments to illegal immigrants, though, are minor compared to the revenue those workers contribute through payroll taxes, argued Matt Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit left-of-center think tank.
Gardner noted a 2013 Social Security Administration study finding that illegal immigrants pay $12 billion annually into Social Security, pointing out that those workers won’t get retirement benefits. Allowing such workers to stay in the tax system is, on net, advantageous for taxpayers.
“What’s ironic to me is that this conversation is embedded in the context of this extenders debate,” Gardner said, noting that many of the extenders are corporate tax breaks that might not serve “any meaningful purpose at all.”

“The improper payments to illegal immigrants, though, are minor compared to the revenue those workers contribute through payroll taxes, argued Matt Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit left-of-center think tank.

Gardner noted a 2013 Social Security Administration study finding that illegal immigrants pay $12 billion annually into Social Security, pointing out that those workers won’t get retirement benefits. Allowing such workers to stay in the tax system is, on net, advantageous for taxpayers.

“What’s ironic to me is that this conversation is embedded in the context of this extenders debate,” Gardner said, noting that many of the extenders are corporate tax breaks that might not serve “any meaningful purpose at all.””

 

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