Taxes paying for illegals to go to college??

[Disclaimer]

For the record.. I'm not against anybody working "under the table". Income taxes are bullshit' date=' and if someone can get away with keeping all the money they earn.. then good for them.[/quote']

Why does this not surprise me?

Good for you Pauly.

[John]

IF they are receiving a paycheck (W2) and not just cash under the table.

first, i will refer you to this:

the government has estimated that 75% (thats three quarters) of illegal immigrants are paid on formal payrolls.

now, you're right. if they are paid under the table, then SS/medicare taxes are not paid. however, they still pay sales tax when they buy a tv or a car. they still pay tax when they fill it up with gas. they pay sin tax when they buy a six pack or a pack of smokes etc etc.

they ARE paying taxes. just not income/ss/medicare.

besides that, NO ONE who gets paid cash under the table reports 100% of that. waiters and bartenders dont claim 100% of their cash tips. high school kids dont claim the bucks they got for mowing lawns or shoveling driveways. even if they DID, their income would be so low that they probably wouldnt have any tax liability anyway....

[RVTPilot]

its just flat out wrong to think illegal immigrants do not contribute to taxes.

if you file a W2 with a fake name/ss number, uncle sam is still taking money out of your paycheck.

unlike you or i, they arent getting refunds, and they arent eligible for medicare/social security when they retire. so they are paying into a system they will never get anything out of.

the government has estimated that 75% (thats three quarters) of illegal immigrants are paid on formal payrolls.

quite a few pay income tax as well. if they own a house, they pay property tax too.

not to mention sales tax that you pay on stuff you buy, regardless of your citizenship status. gas tax when you fill up your tank etc etc etc.

While some of this is true, it still doesn't justify their existence here. And whatever taxes they might pay into that the country receives is mitigated by their negative impact on the job market, and now in CA, educational system. What's closer to reality is that they come here, earn their money under the table and don't spend it in their local economy as the rest of us typically do. A lot of it goes back to where they are from to either finance the next wave of their kin into the land and the cash is horded.

[John]

While some of this is true, it still doesn't justify their existence here.

i wasnt trying to justify existence. just trying to say that its a fallacy to say illegal immigrants dont pay taxes.

And whatever taxes they might pay into that the country receives is mitigated by their negative impact on the job market, and now in CA, educational system.

the average american IS NOT competing with immigrants for a job. about the only class of citizens who are, are high school dropouts.

now yes, they can push wages down for unskilled labor, but at the same time, that benefits the consumer by keeping costs down on stuff like restaurants, produce, construction etc etc.

there is a significant body of work out there that suggests the economic costs are either equal to, or outweighed by, the benefits.

What's closer to reality is that they come here, earn their money under the table and don't spend it in their local economy as the rest of us typically do.

that may be the stereotype you hold, but it does not make it reality. the fact is that the majority of them are paid on payroll, not under the table. they still have to eat. is a grocery store not part of the local economy? they still buy gas at the local gas station so they can get to work. they buy cell phones etc.

Edited October 12, 2011 by John

[idodishez]

Simple question..... What would happen to one of us if we were in another country illegally?

In addition to the obvious answer to my rhetorical question, would we get free health care? free education? free college education? consideration of a right to "vote"? Could we fly our us flag over there? Would we have anywhere close to voice in how THEIR "government" was ran? Could we expect them to change their language for us, and to make accommodations for the English language? Have them change their policies because we are "offended"?

The answer is a resounding HE'LL NO! Yes, i understand we Are the land of opportunity, the melting pot, etc. But if you want to come here, DO IT LEGALLY!!!! really don't understand why become a nation of such pussies!!

[RVTPilot]

i wasnt trying to justify existence. just trying to say that its a fallacy to say illegal immigrants dont pay taxes.

the average american IS NOT competing with immigrants for a job. about the only class of citizens who are, are high school dropouts.

now yes, they can push wages down for unskilled labor, but at the same time, that benefits you by keeping costs down on stuff like restaurants, produce, construction etc etc.

that may be the stereotype you hold, but it does not make it reality. the fact is that the majority of them are paid on payroll, not under the table. they still have to eat. is a grocery store not part of the local economy? they still buy gas at the local gas station so they can get to work. they buy cell phones etc.

The taxes they pay in what goods they do buy doesn't mitigate the negative impact on the economy they impart. Services that benefit from the scant tax dollars collected from goods bought by illegals wouldn't receive any significant negative imapct if that section of the revenue stream dried up.

As far as competition in the workplace, more than just high school dropouts are competing for jobs with illegals. You talk of my stereotype, your comments reflect the same thing. In my personal case, sure..I'm not competing with an illegal to maintain my position as a client admin for my company. However, I see pleny of "contracted" labor come through our community done by illegals when pulling wire, punching down phone nets, etc. And while it appears menial from the outsiders persepctive, those are jobs that some college educated workers would take in this economy to get their foot in the door at a tech company, not unlike apprentice work in the unionized sector.

And for the ones that are paying payroll taxes, as you stated, they are doing so with stolen SSNs or identities. Where I come from, we call that a double whammy, as not only have you taken a job that an otherwise honest, tax paying American citizen would have, they are perpetuating identiy theft. Now you have another set of victims to the scenario.

At the end of the day, they are still only paying at best a minimum into the system, as to do anything higher profile only runs them the risk of getting caught more easily. Anything they can do to reduce that chance, they will.

[Simplysix]

Wow. What did I just walk in to

[Disclaimer]

Bad324 can finally get his degree! Yay!