The Senate immigration reform bill would permit undocumented immigrants to enter the legalization process. But filing applications alone may not be sufficient and the undocumented immigrants must submit supporting documents, pay fines, taxes and undergo criminal background checks. If the Gang of Eight’s immigration reform bill is signed into law by the President, undocumented immigrants who seek to live permanently in America, would be required to come out of their shadows and undergo background checks. Likewise, they would be required to pay all their back taxes. This provision of the immigration reform bill proves that the bill does not grant the undocumented immigrants amnesty.
However, the lawmakers do not how to determine who owes what, as the stories of all the undocumented immigrants may not be the same. Most of the undocumented immigrants do not have immigration papers and documentation of work history and so it may be difficult to find out how much they owe. Nevertheless, reports state that many immigrants give up US citizenship as they do not want to pay their taxes that are high. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), states that 679 immigrants have abandoned US citizenship just because they do not want pay taxes. Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook, has also abandoned US citizenship.
According to the Senate immigration reform bill, it is the responsibility of the IRS to collect taxes from the undocumented immigrants who apply for legal status. But there are no specific instructions on how the IRS must collect taxes from them. As the undocumented immigrants have been working off the books all these years, they may not be required to pay their back taxes. Undocumented immigrants would be required to pay taxes before they apply for legal status, only if the IRS audits and requires them to pay taxes. Moreover, the bill would also not require the US employers who hired undocumented immigrants, to pay taxes for the years they paid undocumented immigrants.