About 89,000 undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma paid $227.5 million in state and local taxes in 2022, according to a study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
The nonpartisan nonprofit looked into tax contributions from immigrants without legal permission across the country. Overall, researchers found they contributed about $96.7 billion in federal, state and local taxes across the country.
In Oklahoma, about $122 million were collected through sales and excise taxes and roughly $49 million in property taxes, according to the study. Researchers also found about $51 million came through personal or business income taxes and about $4.5 million were from other taxes.
Gabriela Ramirez-Perez, Oklahoma Policy Institute’s immigration policy analyst, said the report found immigrants in the country without legal permission pay taxes for social programs like Medicare but are barred from getting the benefit themselves.
“It really tackles the persistent myth that undocumented immigrants don't pay taxes by countering it with clear data that shows that undocumented immigrants in fact, do pay taxes and contribute significantly to our community,” Ramirez-Perez said.
Other findings in the report include immigrants without legal permission to be in Oklahoma pay higher state and local tax rates than the top 1% of households, and it notes that the number of tax contributions could go up if they were granted work authorization.
Immigrants in the state without legal permission largely work in areas like accommodation and food services, construction and manufacturing, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
