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Comment by throw123123123 | Hacker News Reader

US immigration is in the biggest crisis in decades - between rhetoric & admin burden from Trump, covid, and ossified bureaucracy, it is the worst time in history for a tech worker to migrate to the US.

Each time a developer works for the US from abroad, the US economy loses up to 50% o salaries in taxes for gov funding, and up to 80% of the reminder in spending within the economy.

An argentine developer making 150k from the US pays 0 taxes and spends 80%+ in argentina. If he moves to the US he pays 60k in taxes and spends 80%+ in the US.

US is shooting itself in the foot so hard. The solution is the easiest - remove H1b caps.

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Holy sh-t. What kind of country will you create with "zero taxes"? A sh-tty one! No one likes to pay high taxes, but there are almost no highly developed non-microstate nations with low taxes. (Even the Switzerland argument still has a bunch of holes when you look at the aggregate and include all levels of taxation.) How else can you pay for (subsidised) child care, health care, education, unemployment insurance, and national (old-age) pension? It costs a pretty penny.

And what Argentine devs are making 150K USD? Few.

Doesn't the US have tax agreements with most countries? You still have to pay tax on US income.

Not if the employee is hired from a proxy company in the target country.

It's not US income if you don't live in the US. You pay income tax based on where you live, not where you employer lives

US taxes all income you earn anywhere in the world. It’s not that bad in practice, as first $100k or something earned abroad is exempt, and there are anti double taxation treaties with many countries, but overall, if you’re a US citizen abroad, you might owe US taxes.

Does that apply in the context of this thread? Presumably the person hired in Argentina is a Argentinian national, not a US citizen living in Argentina.

I'd guess that most people living in Argentina are not, in fact, US citizens. If an Argentinian did a contract for an American company while living in Argentina, I'd expect them pay Argentinian rather than US income tax on that

> US taxes all income you earn anywhere in the world

US taxes all income you anywhere in the world for US residents.

Incorrect. It taxes all income anywhere jn the world for US citizens and green card holders, _regardless_ of where they reside or the source of their income.

The original comment wasn't about US citizens but non-citizens which is what my comment was based on.

No you don't. It would be a tariff to do so.

So I should want companies to be able to import cheaper workers from abroad and drive down my salary via supply and demand, and all so the government can get more tax revenue? No thanks.

More tech people means more tech business means more tech demand. I don't see the problem. Immigrants tend to be much more entrepreneurial and create disproportionate opportunities for business.

he's paying 60k on the 150k, is that driving down your salary?

How is 150K cheaper unless you are in Bay Area may be. Companies will always find ways to reduce cost so you cannot do much about it. GP's point is that someone is getting paid 150K working for an American company in Argentina so that means they are not only NOT adding any tax revenue for US but they are still taking away your job (based on your argument). So which one is better ? a 150K remote worker in a foreign country who doesn't pay any US tax OR a 150K worker in the US who also pays taxes and contributes to the economy. In both cases, the job is not going to you anyway.

Think of it this way, more people in your country means more economic activity, and a larger tax base.

If you work a laptop job currently then assume that it can be done by anyone anywhere in the world. Wouldn't you want that person to buy US products, US services, and pay US taxes?

There are more developers in the US than ever before. Pay has never been higher. Developers create jobs for other developers.

Companies still do that by hiring abroad and importing goods from abroad. You will surprised to know most of the things you consume in the US are imported.

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