Thread: North Carolina Bill Would Tax Wire Transfers From Illegal Im

North Carolina Bill Would Tax Wire Transfers From Illegal Immigrants
By GARY D. ROBERTSON
Associated Press Writer

Posted: Today at 5:34 p.m.

RALEIGH, N.C. — A proposed tax on money wire transfers made by illegal immigrants would be impossible to enforce and could subject businesses to discrimination lawsuits, opponents of the measure told lawmakers Tuesday.

But the chief sponsor of the bill likened such identification checks to the age restrictions placed on alcohol and tobacco purchases.

"If (a person) walks up to me and speaks extremely broken English, I would say I think that I better check his identification," Rep. George Cleveland, R-Onslow, told a House judiciary committee. "If he walks up to me and speaks extremely fluent English, then I would be a little more comfortable."

The committee didn't vote on the measure Tuesday.

The bill, which would impose a 5 percent excise tax on the wire transactions, is the latest in a series of measures filed in recent years that attempt to get a handle on the influx of undocumented workers moving into North Carolina.

An estimated 400,000 illegal immigrants live in the state, and about half of all Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. send billions of dollars to their home countries, according to reports by the Pew Hispanic Center, a national research group based in Washington.

Cleveland's measure would impose the excise tax on money being transferred by companies such as Western Union or convenience stores that wire funds for a fee. Banks would be exempt.

Marisol Jimenez McGee, a lobbyist for the Latino advocacy group El Pueblo, said undocumented workers already pay sales tax and most have taxes and Social Security withheld from their paychecks.

"This would be a new regressive tax," McGee said.

The North Carolina Retail Merchants Association also opposed the measure because it would burden retailers by forcing their employees to ask for identification from anyone who wants to make a transfer, said the organization's general counsel, Andy Ellen.

"We will have to identify every single person who comes in the door. If not, we open ourselves up to discrimination claims," Ellen told lawmakers.

Cleveland dismissed the argument, saying retailers could use common sense to identify potential illegal immigrants. Cleveland said his bill would target money being sent abroad by illegal immigrants who were unlawfully paid in cash.

"Just doing some simple math, I believe there's a lot of money leaving our state that should be taxed," Cleveland told the committee.

Similar bills have been filed recently in Texas and Georgia. A 5 percent tax was approved by the Georgia House last year, but the language was left out of the Legislature's final sweeping immigration bill. The Texas bill didn't clear the Senate Finance Committee this year.

Under the bill in North Carolina, an individual trying to transfer money would have to provide "adequate evidence" of legal living and working status in the U.S. to establish employment eligibility and avoid the tax.

The person would have to provide a combination of specific documents, such as a Social Security card and driver's license from any state, or a military identification card and a U.S. passport.

Responding to questions after the hearing, Cleveland said store clerks should be able to identify illegal immigrants using other methods: "If a fella comes in with a pair of shaggy boots on, jeans and a T-shirt and he's got a straw hat on - I mean, come on, give me a break."

Any suggestion that legal status "can be made on the basis of ethnicity or physical appearance is a clear illustration of how such violations would occur and inevitably lead to a flood of discrimination cases across the state," McGee said later.

Rep. Dan Blue, D-Wake, the judiciary committee chairman, said the brief discussion showed the "deep complexities about this bill." He said it would be discussed again.

http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/1495050/

Why would this be a problem. They showed ID to get their jobs didnt they?

I'm not sure I like the money wire tax. If it were to be approved, it would just be one more source of revenue the state wouldn't be so eager to get rid off. In other words, NC could become dependent on the extra money made from the transactions. Furthermore, it would be more ammunition the illegals and pro-illegals could utilize in their argument for legalization. I can hear it now - "the poor undocumented immigrants contribute so much to the NC economy, including a money wire tax."

Instead of taxing the money, we need to figure out how to stop illegal immigrants from legaling wiring money out of the country! Illegals shouldn't be able to do a darn thing in this country except seek emergency medical assistance. I'm getting sick and tired of all the enabling, pandering, and greed surrounding the illegal immigrant issue. Illegal immigration is a crime and it's time it started being viewed as such!

Originally Posted by MW

I'm not sure I like the money wire tax. If it were to be approved, it would just be one more source of revenue the state wouldn't be so eager to get rid off....

MW I was for this kind of tax but hadn't thought of it in the way you have stated. I should have. It's the same reason that state governments don't mind the price od gas going through the roof. I now have changed my mind.

There is however a program where "people" can wire money, (cash or otherwise) through a bank, to Mexico and they are not required to provide any ID and the amount is unlimited. No questions asked. And, to top it off, it is a U.S. government sponsered program. I'll try to find out the name of it and post it.

I don't think this transfer's such a good idea either.

I'd rather see the federal employees in that ICE office somewhere in Cary get off their butts and do something. Does anybody have their phone #?

Originally Posted by had_enuf

I don't think this transfer's such a good idea either.

I'd rather see the federal employees in that ICE office somewhere in Cary get off their butts and do something. Does anybody have their phone #?

Interested in finding out where they are and dropping in for a visit? I am curious enough to drop by during my lunch.

Originally Posted by usatime

Originally Posted by had_enuf

I don't think this transfer's such a good idea either.

I'd rather see the federal employees in that ICE office somewhere in Cary get off their butts and do something. Does anybody have their phone #?

Interested in finding out where they are and dropping in for a visit? I am curious enough to drop by during my lunch.

Yep, I sure am. Tom O'Connell said:

"I can't arrest every truck full of painters going to some job in Apex," he said. "We don't have the resources."

http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... light=apex

Other than a drunk driving illegal or two every week, what are they really doing over there?