Market Watch: Undocumented Immigrants Pay Billions in Taxes
media mentionIf you think undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes, a new report may cause you to think again.
Far from not paying taxes — as is alleged by critics — undocumented immigrants paid about $11.8 billion in state and local taxes in 2012, according to a report released late last week by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
Here’s how that $11.8 billion breaks down, according to the report: Nearly 60% was sales and excise taxes, amounting to more than $7 billion. Property taxes accounted for $3.6 billion. That includes taxes paid directly as homeowners, as well as indirectly as renters. And $1.1 billion was in the form of personal income taxes.