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Status:
"Let this year be over..."
(set 20 days ago)
Location: Where my bills arrive
19,219 posts, read 17,088,442 times
Reputation: 15538
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moneill
You do know that Puerto Ricans are American taxpayers right?
Not quite, they are Americans but depending on how they earn their money they may not pay Federal Income Tax.
"Puerto Ricans are required to pay federal income taxes on income from federal sources outside of Puerto Rico; otherwise they are exempt from federal income taxes"
The article is inaccurate. I said this in another thread and will repeat it here. The biggest problem is difficulty traveling to work. Both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have experienced major damage to their infrastructures as a result of the hurricanes. To make matters words, the islands have experienced so much rain afterward, which has caused tons of flooding. Have you stopped to think that people may have difficulty getting to work? How do you know that people have vehicles that survived Maria and Irma?
Just two nights ago, I got an urgent call from a friend to pick her up from work. She couldn't get out. The place was flooding. She couldn't walk home. Rocks and dirt were coming loose and falling into the roads. Some roads were like rivers. My old street has a sinkhole and is inaccessible. Do you think Puerto Rico was any different? They are only a few miles from us. The islands are a mess and traveling in many places is hazardous.
Not quite, they are Americans but depending on how they earn their money they may not pay Federal Income Tax.
"Puerto Ricans are required to pay federal income taxes on income from federal sources outside of Puerto Rico; otherwise they are exempt from federal income taxes"
I love how you read thru that entire explanation of how Federal taxes work in Puerto Rico and picked out the ONE sentence that taken out of context, seems to be a complete 180 from the explanation given in your link:
Unequal treatment of Puerto Rico under federal law has frequently been justified on the grounds that Puerto Ricans do not pay federal income tax on Puerto Rican based income. ... this argument becomes unconvincing when half of all U.S. citizens have no federal income tax obligations.
... Puerto Ricans are contributors to our nation’s bottom line.
In 2011, Puerto Ricans contributed $3.3 billion to the United States Treasury, approximately as much as Vermont...
All employers and employees in Puerto Rice are still subject to payroll taxes as imposed by the Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA), including Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment taxes. The Social Security and Medicare taxes are withheld from Puerto Ricans’ paychecks just as they are for workers living within the rest of the United States... Finally, the federal government taxes Puerto Ricans on any of their investments made in the mainland United States.
Conversely, Puerto Ricans do not receive many of the same tax incentives as their fellow U.S. citizens living in the mainland. For example, Puerto Rican families must have at least three children before they are eligible to receive the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit, and no one in Puerto Rico can qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit...
im about as anti union as you can get and im calling bull on this one. its just not happing and im not really sure why we are allowing this really really fake news to get traction.
there are no unions in PR using this crisis as leverage.
Status:
"Let this year be over..."
(set 20 days ago)
Location: Where my bills arrive
19,219 posts, read 17,088,442 times
Reputation: 15538
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler
FAIL!
I love how you read thru that entire explanation of how Federal taxes work in Puerto Rico and picked out the ONE sentence that taken out of context, seems to be a complete 180 from the explanation given in your link:
No I was trying to find a simple link to a reference. Having worked with individuals from the island for 20 years when I was in the service "they" are the ones who said they don't pay federal income tax they pay it to the PR Government.
Is it not true that they function as a semi-autonomous country with US benefits? They recently had the vote again to select whether to become a state, go for independence or maintain things as they are. I understand they opted to remain as they are.
If they don't like the benefits that they receive in their native country then let them move to the states which they can as US citizens or vote to become independent and leave the USA or become a state, their choice. But read your own post as I said they pay tax on "federal sources outside of Puerto Rico", FICA is not Federal Tax and they receive Social Assistance when eligible by circumstances or age. As for other tax issues let them speak to their elected government who makes their laws.
Actually they are not. The are American citizens-but pay no federal income taxes on income earned in PR. So the rest of us are on the hook instead.
Yeah, man, that’s unfair that they don’t pay taxes but get all the Congressional representation. Their Senators should get right on that and get a bill introduced to correct it!
Yeah, man, that’s unfair that they don’t pay taxes but get all the Congressional representation. Their Senators should get right on that and get a bill introduced to correct it!
/sarcasm
Yeah, it's so unfair that they get all the rights and privileges of American citizens, but contribute nothing to support the country.
... Puerto Ricans are contributors to our nation’s bottom line.
Bottom line: More federal money goes to PR than what little they contribute back. Fact.
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