The economy is roaring. Immigration is a key reason.

[Dulcinea]

(Washington Post) Immigration has propelled the U.S. job market further than just about anyone expected, helping cement the country’s economic rebound from the pandemic as the most robust in the world.

That momentum picked up aggressively over the past year. About 50 percent of the labor market’s extraordinary recent growth came from foreign-born workers between January 2023 and January 2024, according to an Economic Policy Institute analysis of federal data. And even before that, by the middle of 2022, the foreign-born labor force had grown so fast that it closed the labor force gap created by the pandemic, according to research from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

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Immigrant workers also recovered much faster than native-born workers from the pandemic’s disruptions, and many saw some of the largest wage gains in industries eager to hire. Economists and labor experts say the surge in employment was ultimately key to solving unprecedented gaps in the economy that threatened the country’s ability to recover from prolonged shutdowns.

“Immigration has not slowed. It has just been absolutely astronomical,” said Pia Orrenius, vice president and senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. “And that’s been instrumental. You can’t grow like this with just the native workforce. It’s not possible.”

https://news.yahoo.com/economy-roaring-immigration-key-reason-181700645.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&uh_test=0_00

[dutch777]

1. What would happen if it was proposed to tax immigrants double or some multiplier the usual tax rate?

Certainly not permanently but for some number of years. In some places, utilities like water and sewer add a hook-up fee surcharge for late comers to the system. The logic being that initial ratepayers thru maybe bonds and longer term payment of rates financed and built the system and new comers should help balance that out as a matter of fairness. One could say the same of immigrants who use roads, schools and other infrastructure that enable the basics of daily living. This could serve a couple of purposes. It would knock the Republicans off balance as immigrants would be contributing even more to the economy than the article notes and it may slow the flow of immigrants to something more manageable. State and local governments could do this too, making states like TX and AZ have to really acknowledge that while some immigration causes issues, there is a good side too.

[MichMan]

2. That would encourage even more people to work under the table for cash and pay zero taxes

[sybylla]

4. These immigrant laborers are saving our pandemic economy and you want to punish them financally?

You want to discourage them from saving our asses?

Did you read anything from the paragraphs posted above? You don't even need to go to the WP to read the whole story. The important bits are right there.

How about we put a windfall tax on corporations and limit executive pay instead? Then if corporations manage to benefit from under-the-table, off paper immigrant labor, they get to pay that in extra taxes.

Here's a thread that discusses a Brookings study and our current economic situation across the globe and why your idea is a bad one.

It's unfortunately on xitter.

Link to tweet

[70sEraVet]

3. I'm surprised the article never mentioned immigrants saving Social Security

Social Security, which provides retirement income to millions of elderly Americans, is largely stable -- at least for now -- thanks in part to the more than 3.1 million people who are working and paying taxes in the U.S. using fake or expired social security numbers. Every year, undocumented immigrants have collectively paid as much as $13 billion into the system while only receiving $1 billion in benefits in return.
undocumented-workers-are-keeping-key-benefit-program-afloat-msna388136

[sybylla]

5. And real ss numbers. If you aren't a citizen, you must pay in but never receive.

This is the more likely reason that the GQP hates immigrants. They bouy the SS system. They're just using replacement theory to propel their daily 5 minutes of hate.

[MichMan]

6. Identity theft is a serious crime

Don't understand why some people think it is acceptable.

People stealing other people's SS # should be held accountable and prosecuted

[70sEraVet]

7. You do have a point. But it seems to be settled law that its not a crime....

if no crime's been committed.
"In May 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a federal identity theft law frequently used to prosecute and deport undocumented workers cannot be used for that purpose if the worker used the SSN only to get a job."
https://legalbeagle.com/6823493-penalty-fake-social-security-number.html