Oregon Center for Public Policy: Undocumented Workers Are Taxpayers, Too
ITEP Work in Action“It’s essential that Oregonians recognize the important contribution undocumented workers make to our state’s economy. Undocumented immigrants perform vital work in certain industries. Together they earn roughly $2.3 billion to $4.5 billion a year, much of it undoubtedly spent on goods and services purchased from Oregon businesses. And beside labor and purchasing power, undocumented immigrants contribute to Oregon’s economy in the form of taxes.
This issue brief updates OCPP’s estimates of tax contributions by undocumented Oregon workers. Specifically, OCPP estimates (1) how much undocumented workers pay in state and local income, property and excise taxes; and (2) how much they pay in federal Social Security and Medicare taxes. In addition, we estimate the taxes paid by employers in the name of undocumented workers. These include the employer’s share of Social Security and Medicare taxes and the amount employers pay in state Unemployment Insurance taxes in the name of undocumented workers.”