“There’s a common misconception that undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes. In reality, that is not true at all,” New Jersey Policy Perspective Vice President Jon Whiten told NJTV News this week.
In fact, New Jersey gets an injection of cash from its unauthorized immigrant population — nearly $600 million in state and local taxes, according to a new report.
“They are not here just ‘taking,’ if you will. They’re contributing to our tax base and to our economy more broadly,” Whiten said.
A study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy crunched the numbers in all 50 states and found New Jersey gets more money from its unauthorized population than 44 other states.
“They buy things at stores and pay sales tax. They rent a home or an apartment and pay property taxes through their rental or sometimes they even own homes themselves. And a lot of undocumented immigrants also pay income taxes,” Whiten said.
