Study: Immigration Changes Will Help Colorado Revenue

DENVER (AP) - An analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says Colorado would gain almost $43 million in tax revenue if people in the state who entered the country illegally were allowed to work legally.

The institute says people living in the country without legal permission already are paying more than an estimated $152 million annually in state and local taxes, including sales tax and property taxes as renters or homeowners. Some also pay income taxes.

It estimates that if people living in the country illegally could work in Colorado legally, the state would gain $6.6 million more in personal income taxes, $1.4 million in property taxes, and $35 million more in sales and excise taxes.

The institute used population estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center, income estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, and its own computer model for its figures.

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