One legislative illegal immigration countermeasure I'd like to see in California is to throw out the California income tax on individuals and businesses and the property tax as well. California should rely on sales tax on all goods and services for its tax revenue.
How would this affect the illegal immigrant issue ? Illegal immigrants don't pay income taxes, but if all goods and services -- including milk, medicine, and services -- included the same sales tax percentage we now pay in California, then finally the illegal aliens would be contributing. Extending the California sales tax to 10% of ALL purchases would more than offset the lost income and property taxes.
Including a refund of sales taxes to legal residents, but not illegals, would make it MORE expensive for illegals to live in California than for citizens. This refund would be like in the FairTax plan -- no record keeping required, just a simple proof of legal residence to receive a refund of the tax amount that would have been paid on the first 'X' amount of spending. As in the FairTax plan, that level of expected spending could be set at the poverty level. A legal family of four would have their sales taxes completely refunded on the first $25K of spending. An illegal family in LA spending $50K contributes $5K because it gets no refund, but the legal family contributes only $2.5K.
Very good idea. Go for it.