New Study Says Undocumented Workers Pay $81 Million in Oregon Taxes Each Year

No papers does not mean no taxes, think-tank says.

By Nigel Jaquiss

A new report released today by the Oregon Center for Public Policy says that undocumented Oregonians pay $81 million a year in various Oregon taxes.

Here's a breakdown of those taxes:

Janet Bauer, the analyst for OCPP, a left-leaning think tank, who prepared the report, writes that 116,000 undocumented residents in Oregon would pay nearly 50 percent more in taxes—up to $119 million a year—if they could gain legal status.

"Undocumented immigrants are important to Oregon's economy and the taxes they pay are one of the ways they contribute to the economy," Bauer writes. "Their tax contributions to schools and other vital public services would increase under a comprehensive immigration reform effort creating a path to citizenship for undocumented Oregonians."

 

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