Illegal Aliens: Getting Right Wit' Da Man!

Source: AJC

A steady stream of customers flowed into Grace Lopez-Williams' office on Jimmy Carter Boulevard. They were taxpayers, looking for help to file by this year's April 17 deadline.

Many of them were also illegal immigrants

... tax preparer Lopez-Williams said she's seen an uptick in her business, specifically a 20-25 percent increase in immigrants paying multiple years of back taxes.

Why pay now? "To get ready for reform if it comes down," Lopez-Williams said.

Congress is expected to debate immigration reform this spring, and most proposals would allow some illegal immigrants who are already here to work toward legal status.

Filing tax returns could be a way to prove residency, show that a person was working and demonstrate the "good moral character" likely to be requirements under an amnesty plan or other immigration reform, Lopez-Williams said.

... "They want to be in compliance when the time comes," said the Puerto-Rican native who has been operating an accounting and tax preparation business since 1998.

Now that there's a benefit to them? They do the right thing!

Now that's news you can use!

More coverage:

Digger's Realm

Dusty Inman

Technorati Tags: illegal immigration, the tax man, amnesty,