‘A Close Look at Illegal Aliens’: The Tax Issue

Your editorial “A Close Look at Illegal Aliens” (Aug. 3) made some interesting observations about the taxes paid by illegal aliens.

While it may be true that their share of property taxes and sales taxes is equivalent to the taxes paid by legal workers with same salary, how many of them pay income and social security taxes? How many of the employers who pick up workers off of the street withhold income taxes and social security taxes? How many of them send any taxes into the government? How many illegal workers could claim workman’s compensation if they were hurt on the job? Where is their protection?

An illegal alien I know was offered an interesting choice of salaries when he was offered a job: (1) He could work for the standard rate and have income and social security taxes withheld, or (2) he could work for a little less and have no taxes deducted. It was pointed out to him that we would actually net more if he selected Option 2. Which do you suppose he selected?

Who says we don’t need penalties for employers who hire illegal aliens? They are cheating the illegal and the government.

JAMES R. ROGERS

Huntington Beach