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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 11, 2024 01:55 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Mike Cabell |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Remittance Fee on Illegal Immigrants in Pennsylvania |
| Soon we plan on introducing legislation that would greatly increase revenue for the Property Tax Rent Rebate program as well as deter illegal immigration in the Commonwealth. Our legislation would impose a 10 percent fee on international remittances being sent abroad by an undocumented worker through a money transfer licensee or agent. An international remittance is a sum of money being sent outside the United States, it represents economic activity diverted to other countries and money taken out of our local economy. It’s common practice for undocumented workers to use remittances to send earnings back to their home country. Each year over 70 billion dollars are extracted from the United States economy and sent abroad. Other states have enacted similar legislation with great success, Oklahoma enacted a 1% fee on remittances in 2014, generating over 15 million dollars in annual revenue for their state. Pennsylvania’s estimated undocumented population is far larger than Oklahoma, a remittance fee here would result in significantly larger revenue as well as stem economic hemorrhaging. The Revenue for our bill would be diverted towards the Property Tax Rent Rebate program benefiting seniors and those in need in our state. Illegal immigration is an economic siphon off the hard work of law-abiding Pennsylvanians. We need common sense solutions that both parties can agree on to address the crisis that is affecting the United States broadly and Pennsylvania in particular. Please consider co-sponsoring this important legislation. |