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January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

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During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

Study Examines the Value of Immigration Reform

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Friday, July 12, 2013   

BEREA, Ky. – A new study shows that Kentucky would get a boost in revenue if the state's estimated 80,000 undocumented immigrants were allowed to work legally.

The analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy claims Kentucky could gain more than $23 million a year.

Anna Baumann, an analyst with the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, says Kentucky's spike in revenue would come mostly from income taxes.

"With immigration reform there would be a legal pathway for full compliance," she explains.

The study says undocumented immigrants currently pay nearly $59 million annually in state and local taxes, including $15.3 million in income taxes.

Baumann says at least half of undocumented immigrants already pay income tax through either a false Social Security number or an individual tax identification number.

She adds immigrants living in Kentucky without legal status already pay sales and property taxes.

"They're contributing to the economy and not just through taxes,” she says, “but through the money they spend on things like groceries, you know, cars."

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates the revenue gain for all states from immigration reform would be $2 billion a year.

Those immigrants are, according to the analysis, already paying $10.6 billion a year in state and local taxes.







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