{"id":411680,"date":"2010-03-10T07:49:04","date_gmt":"2010-03-10T12:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thehollywoodliberal.com\/2010\/03\/10\/oreilly-dobbs-wrong-that-undocumented-immigrants-dont-pay-taxes\/"},"modified":"2010-03-10T07:49:04","modified_gmt":"2010-03-10T12:49:04","slug":"o%e2%80%99reilly-dobbs-wrong-that-undocumented-immigrants-don%e2%80%99t-pay-taxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/411680","title":{"rendered":"O\u2019Reilly, Dobbs wrong that undocumented immigrants don\u2019t pay taxes"},"content":{"rendered":"

O’Reilly, Dobbs wrong that undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes <\/a><\/p>\n

On the March 9 edition of Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor<\/em>, host Bill O’Reilly and former CNN host Lou Dobbs suggested that undocumented immigrants “dodge taxes,” with O’Reilly asserting that the notion that they pay taxes is “crap.” In fact, according to the Congressional Budget Office and the Social Security Administration, undocumented immigrants pay all kinds of taxes, including individual income, sales, property, and social security taxes.<\/p>\n

O’Reilly: “You know it’s crap” that undocumented immigrants pay taxes<\/h2>\n

From the March 9 edition of Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor<\/em>:<\/p>\n

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DOBBS: I think people have to understand clearly and unequivocally that this is not a substitute for border security, nor port security. We still have to survey what is happening with cargo being brought into this country. We still have responsibility for the security of our borders.<\/p>\n

O’REILLY: Right. But it’s getting better down on the southern border. I mean, that fence is working, and partially due to the economy, there are much fewer aliens. But, look, here’s the big deal on this ID card: the money that would come in to the U.S. Treasury would be enormous because you can’t dodge taxes anymore. You can’t get paid off the books anymore –<\/p>\n

DOBBS: Bill, what are you talking about?<\/p>\n

O’REILLY: — you know.<\/p>\n

DOBBS: All of the open borders advocates — all of the unconditional amnesty advocates say that illegal immigrants are already paying taxes.<\/p>\n

O’REILLY: No, that’s all talk. You know it’s crap.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In fact, undocumented immigrants do pay taxes<\/h2>\n

CBO: “[I]mmigrants pay individual income, sales, and property taxes.”<\/strong> In a December 2007 report<\/a> detailing the impact of undocumented immigrants on the budgets of local and state governments, CBO found that “[a]ccording to available estimates,” there were about “12 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States” at the time and “those immigrants pay individual income, sales, and property taxes.” CBO further reported that “the IRS estimates that about 6 million unauthorized immigrants file individual income tax returns each year. Other researchers estimate that between 50 percent and 75 percent of unauthorized immigrants pay federal, state, and local taxes.”<\/p>\n

From the CBO report<\/a> [footnotes omitted]:<\/p>\n

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According to available estimates, there are about 12 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States. Federal, state, and local governments spend public funds that benefit those immigrants, and those immigrants pay individual income, sales, and property taxes. Most available studies conclude that the unauthorized population pays less in state and local taxes than it costs state and local governments to provide services to that population. However, those estimates have significant limitations; they are not a suitable basis for developing an aggregate national effect across all states.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

CBO also stated<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Data from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) suggest that some unauthorized immigrants use false or fraudulently obtained Social Security numbers (SSNs) to satisfy paperwork requirements during the hiring process and that employers use those numbers to withhold federal, state, and local income and payroll taxes for employees. Workers who do not qualify for SSNs can use Individual Tax Identification Numbers issued by the IRS to file tax returns, make payments, and apply for refunds. Although there are no reliable data on unauthorized immigrants’ rate of compliance with tax laws, the IRS estimates that about 6 million unauthorized immigrants file individual income tax returns each year. Other researchers estimate that between 50 percent and 75 percent of unauthorized immigrants pay federal, state, and local taxes. For example:<\/p>\n

The SSA assumes that about half of unauthorized immigrants pay Social Security taxes. <\/p>\n

Several of the states whose estimates CBO reviewed used a model developed by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) to determine state and local taxes paid by unauthorized immigrants. ITEP assumes a 50 percent compliance rate for income and payroll taxes. <\/p>\n

Researchers from the Urban Institute, the Migration Policy Institute, the Pew Hispanic Center, and the Center for Immigration Studies have assumed a 55 percent compliance rate for income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes. <\/p>\n

As part of a larger study on migration, the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California at San Diego conducted a survey of unauthorized immigrants and found that, in 2006, 75 percent had taxes withheld from their paychecks, filed tax returns, or both.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n