Immigration Reform Centers on Back Taxes
Posted at 12:15 p.m. on Feb. 1
Taxes and spending have been at the center of political attention for the past two years, so much so that it appears even a discussion as broad as immigration reform may be subsumed by budget considerations. Politico looks at the role of back taxes in the naturalization debate.
“For all the talk of making undocumented workers pay ‘back taxes,’ the reality is… that between 50 and 70 percent of illegal immigrants who work already pay taxes… But even if the IRS was able to track down income history for the 30-50 percent of illegal immigrants that don’t pay taxes, Treasury would likely spend more processing the back taxes than it brought in.”
“Another challenge to consider: The tax might deter illegal immigrants from coming forward should they find that they don’t have enough money to pay back taxes, thwarting the very goal the immigration proposal set out to achieve.”
