Study Finds Immigration Costs Not Significant

PARIS — The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development assures that the concern over immigration "burdening" countries financially is unfounded.
A study done by the organization finds that "the fiscal impact of immigration is close to zero" and that generally, immigrants put more tax into the government than they get out. This means that the net fiscal impact of immigration is usually positive, and if not, then the deficit is "not exceeding 0.5 percent of GDP."

Though the study was not focused on illegal immigration, the general consensus is that such migrants are net contributors, paying taxes but unable to qualify for government benefits. The OECD also found that the age of immigrants impacted the fiscal footprint; in general, the younger the immigration population, the greater the net profit is. In the United States, for example, where the immigrant base is quite young, the positive impact is great.

The study also shows that, with each time the economy starts to decline, it is these immigrant groups that suffer the most joblessness. Whether this is because of blatant discrimination, lack of job skills or a language barrier, the myth of immigrants "stealing" jobs from natural citizens is also unfounded.

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