Is It Safe for Illegal Immigrants to Pay Income Tax?
2022-06-27 12:51:54
Is
It Safe for Illegal Immigrants to Pay Income Tax?
If youre one of the more than ten million
illegal immigrants currently believed to be living in the United States, there
are many aspects of daily life that can be more than a little worrisome. More
importantly, there are many opportunities that you may be denied due to your
immigration status. There are, however, any responsibilities that you simply
cannot avoid. For example, you are still expected to obey all local, state, and
federal laws. And yes, you are still expected to pay taxes for any income you
earn while in the country.
That last requirement can be a scary
proposition for many recent arrivals, as they are rightly concerned that
authorities will learn of their presence and initiate deportation proceedings.
That fear is understandable, but unwarranted in this case. The fact is that
even illegal immigrants are expected to pay taxes just as they would be
required to do were they here legally. The good news is that you can do so
without fear that your tax filing could be used to send you back to your home
country.
The reason for that is simple: the IRS has
as its main mission the tracking of income and collection of taxes. Because
they had a problem managing various types of income earned in the United States
by people who lacked Social Security numbers, the agency initiated the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
program almost two decades ago. That is the number that must be obtained by
anyone who is not eligible for a Social Security Number.
Now, you might be wondering whether your
illegal status might bar you from obtaining an ITIN. Rest assured, it will not.
As long as you can provide the proper documentation, the IRS will process and
approved you for your own identifying number. More importantly, they do not
share this information with the immigration authorities. Remember, the Internal
Revenue Services only goal in this area is to ensure that they collect as much
of the tax revenue due as possible!
So, on the one hand, you have a situation
where failure to report your income and file taxes can result in criminal
penalties. On the other hand, you have an agency that has gone out of its way
to ensure that you can properly meet that tax-filing duty without fear of your
illegal status being discovered by immigration authorities. Obviously, your
choice should be clear: get your ITIN
and be sure to file those taxes. The last thing you want is for the IRS to
track you down and assess heavy fines or other penalties simply because you
were afraid to file.
Finally, be sure to obtain ITINs for any non-citizen
dependents so that you can also claim them when you file. Each dependent must
have a Social Security Number or ITIN before you can legally claim them on your
tax return. While you cannot receive the Child Tax Credit for dependents unless
they are U.S. citizens or lawful residents, claiming them on your taxes can still
reduce your overall tax burden.
Irving Weissholtz