Immigrants to the UK since 2000 have made a "substantial" contribution to public finances, a study by University College London said. Recent immigrants were less likely to claim benefits and live in social housing than people born in Britain. The authors said rather than being a "drain", their contribution had been "remarkably strong".
"Our study also suggests that over the last decade or so, the UK has benefited fiscally from immigrants from EEA countries, who have put in considerably more in taxes and contributions than they received in benefits and transfers. Given this evidence, claims about "benefit tourism" by EEA immigrants seem to be disconnected from reality."
Immigrants who arrived after 1999 were 45% less likely to receive state benefits or tax credits than UK natives in the period 2000-2011, according to the report by Prof Christian Dustmann and Dr Tommaso Frattini from UCL's Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration. They were also 3% less likely to live in social housing.
"These differences are partly explainable by immigrants' more favourable age-gender composition. However, even when compared to natives with the same age, gender composition, and education, recent immigrants are still 21% less likely than natives to receive benefits," the authors say.
Those from the European Economic Area (EEA - the EU plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) had made a particularly positive contribution in the decade up to 2011, contributing 34% more in taxes than they received in benefits. Immigrants from outside the EEA contributed 2% more in taxes than they received in the same period, the report showed. Over the same period, British people paid 11% less in tax than they received. The study, however, found that between 1995 and 2011, immigrants from non-EEA countries claimed more in benefits than they paid in taxes, but this was explained mainly because they tended to have more children than native Britons.
Immigrants on the whole were also better educated. The report also showed that in 2011, 32% of recent EEA immigrants and 43% of non-EEA immigrants had university degrees, compared with 21% of the British adult population.
The 2011 census showed that 13% of the population of England and Wales was born outside the UK.
"Our study also suggests that over the last decade or so, the UK has benefited fiscally from immigrants from EEA countries, who have put in considerably more in taxes and contributions than they received in benefits and transfers. Given this evidence, claims about "benefit tourism" by EEA immigrants seem to be disconnected from reality."
Immigrants who arrived after 1999 were 45% less likely to receive state benefits or tax credits than UK natives in the period 2000-2011, according to the report by Prof Christian Dustmann and Dr Tommaso Frattini from UCL's Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration. They were also 3% less likely to live in social housing.
"These differences are partly explainable by immigrants' more favourable age-gender composition. However, even when compared to natives with the same age, gender composition, and education, recent immigrants are still 21% less likely than natives to receive benefits," the authors say.
Those from the European Economic Area (EEA - the EU plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) had made a particularly positive contribution in the decade up to 2011, contributing 34% more in taxes than they received in benefits. Immigrants from outside the EEA contributed 2% more in taxes than they received in the same period, the report showed. Over the same period, British people paid 11% less in tax than they received. The study, however, found that between 1995 and 2011, immigrants from non-EEA countries claimed more in benefits than they paid in taxes, but this was explained mainly because they tended to have more children than native Britons.
Immigrants on the whole were also better educated. The report also showed that in 2011, 32% of recent EEA immigrants and 43% of non-EEA immigrants had university degrees, compared with 21% of the British adult population.
The 2011 census showed that 13% of the population of England and Wales was born outside the UK.
A Daily Mail story debunked.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/giving-the-other-side-the-story-behind-the-asylum-seekers-flying-lessons-that-caused-fuss-in-the-daily-mail-8924391.html
The same patriotism----More than one million Muslims will be sporting poppies this weekend to mark Remembrance Sunday... a new survey shows large numbers of people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds, who comprise about two-thirds of the Muslim population, support the sale of poppies.62 per cent of ethnic minority Britons said they would wear a poppy on Sunday. That included 69 per cent of people of Indian heritage, 53 per cent from Pakistani backgrounds, 46 per cent of Bangladeshi heritage, 74 per cent of Black Caribbeans and 55 per cent from Black African background.
ReplyDeleteThere are no figures for white Britons although researchers believe they would not be significantly higher than for other groups.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/one-million-muslims-will-wear-remembrance-poppies-despite-extremists-opposition-say-researchers-8924933.html