Portland Tribune: Workers without Legal Documents Still Pay Taxes

All in all, undocumented working Oregonians contribute about $81 million in state and local taxes per year, according to recent estimates by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). To put that in perspective, that is enough to hire 925 Oregon teachers. And these figures do not include the federal income taxes undocumented workers pay that come back to Oregon through federal education funding to states.

Undocumented Oregonians would contribute even more if they were to gain legal status under comprehensive immigration reform. When previously undocumented workers become authorized, they tend to earn more and, indeed, spend more. With greater earnings and consumption, they contribute more in property taxes, income taxes and consumption taxes. Read more