Hollywood Welfare Paid by Taxpayers

George Clooney’s film, Argo, received $6.21 million in tax credits

Via Forbes: Even as the Hollywood glitterati ruminate about social responsibility and the need for the wealthy “one percent” to pay their “fair share,” Hollywood millionaires and moguls are bagging an estimated $1.51 billion in tax revenues annually through something called “film tax credits.” Consider a few of this year’s Oscar nominated films. According to a new report by the Government Accountability Institute, Quentin Tarantino’s controversial spaghetti Western, Django Unchained, featuring Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio has applied to receive an estimated $8.4 million in film tax credits from the State of Louisiana. Actor-director Ben Affleck and producer George Clooney’s film, Argo, received $6.21 million in tax credits from the California Film Commission. Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, featuring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, and Tommy Lee Jones, hauled in $3.5 million in tax-free film credits. Silver Linings Playbook bagged a cool $5.6 million. Indeed, 40 states now have some form of subsidy or incentive that allow filmmakers to defray income and/or sales taxes incurred during filming. Thirteen states even offer so-called “transferrable film tax credits” that allow filmmakers to convert unused credits into cash—at taxpayer expense, of course. [...] [T]ax and policy analysts who have studied film tax credit programs say industry claims of job creation are vastly overstated. Worse, say critics, they drain vital state resources from things like education and healthcare. [...] What’s more, the Tax Foundation says “that states lose money by offering tax credits for film production” and that “movie production incentives are costly and fail to live up to their promises” because “they create mostly temporary positions with limited options for upward mobility.”

RELATED - Hollywood’s Pious Hypocrisy

Illegal Immigration Costs $113 Billion to US; Illegals Pay only $13 Billion in Taxes

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS A NET FISCAL BURDEN ON U.S. TAXPAYERS A 2010 study found that: 1) Illegal aliens get more in government services than they pay in taxes Illegal aliens impose more than $113 billion per year in costs on the U.S. government at all levels — federal, state, and local — and pay only $13.4 billion in taxes, creating an annual net fiscal deficit of almost $100 billion, which have to be paid by the U.S. taxpayers. (Scroll down for table.) 2) Illegal aliens file tax returns to get free money from the IRS As we previously reported, illegal aliens file income tax returns to get “refunds” from the IRS thanks to tax credits like the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). At the federal level, their tax credits exceed what little income taxes they owe. E.g., illegal aliens owe $1.6 billion in taxes, but are able to deduct $3.9 billion as tax credits, resulting in a net refund of $2.3 billion from the IRS to the illegal aliens. (Scroll down for table.) These tax benefits are the main reason why some illegal aliens file tax returns — not because they suddenly care about the U.S. laws … laws they broke when they entered this country illegally, when they decided to work without authorization and use fake or stolen identities.

TOTAL COST OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION (In Million US dollars)

	EXPENDITURES on Illegal Aliens	TAXES COLLECTED from Illegal Alliens	NET FISCAL BURDEN on U.S. Taxpayers
FEDERAL	$28,795	$9,457	$19,339
STATE/LOCAL	$84,211	$3,955	$80,255
TOTAL	$113,006	$13,412	$99,594

See Table 19 (Page 79)

Federal Expenditures on Illegal Aliens

EDUCATION Supplemental for poor children of illegal aliens (Title I) $1,332,900,000 Education programs for migrant students (Title I, Part C) $236,900,000 Supplemental for Limited English Proficient (LEP) students (Title III Program) $538,000,000 Post-Secondary Education (In 2009, children born to illegal aliens received $19.4 billion in Pell Grants.) N/A Education Subtotal $2,107,800,000 MEDICAL Emergency Medical Care $250,000,000 Fraudulent Use of Medicaid $1,235,000,000 Medicaid Cost of Childbirth $1,238,100,000 Medicaid for Children $1,626,800,000 Other Medical Outlays $1,600,000,000 Medical Subtotal $5,949,900,000 LAW ENFORCEMENT State Criminal Alien Assistance (SCAAP) $330,000,000 Criminal Aliens in Federal Prisons $678,400,000 Byrne Grants $24,300,000 Detention and Removal $2,545,000,000 Project Safe Neighborhoods $39,500,000 Residual ICE Functions $2,824,000,000 Exec. Office of Immigration Review $222,500,000 Southwest Border Prosecution $33,000,000 National Guard $642,000,000 Coast Guard $500,000,000 Law Enforcement Subtotal $7,838,700,000 PUBLIC ASSISTANCE (WELFARE) Free and Reduced Meal Program $2,264,600,000 Cash Assistance of Needy Families $1,030,000,000 Housing Assistance Programs $787,000,000 Child Care & Development Fund $633,000,000 Public Assistance Subtotal $4,714,600,000 GENERAL EXPENDITURES General Expenditures Subtotal $8,184,400,000 TOTAL $28,795,400,000

See Tables 1-5 (Pages 12-31)

State and Local Government Outlays on Illegal Aliens ($M) Education for the children of illegal aliens constitutes the single largest cost to taxpayers, at an annual price tag of nearly $50 billion.

	K-12	LEP**	UNIV.	MEDICAID	SCHIP+	JUSTICE	WELFARE+	GENERAL*	TOTAL($M)
Alabama	$159.2	$27.7		$26.3	$6.1	$18.7	$21.4	$38.3	$298
Alaska	$62.4	$12.6		$7.8	$2.4	$6.8	$16.7	$29.9	$139
Arizona	$1,390.5	$279.6		$259.8	$60.5	$339.7	$85.5	$153.0	$2,569
Arkansas	$129.9	$26.1		$19.4	$4.2	$17.9	$16.7	$29.9	$244
California	$9,226.9	$1,855.5	$87.9	$2,486.8	$434.4	$3,169.8	$1,611.0	$2,883.7	$21,756
Colorado	$805.3	$161.9		$198.6	$53.0	$146.9	$30.4	$54.4	$1,451
Connecticut	$456.1	$91.7		$72.8	$30.8	$61.0	$87.6	$156.8	$957
D.C.	$153.2	$32.9		$12.6	$6.0	$31.1	$27.3	$48.9	$312
Delaware	$140.5	$19.3		$24.1	$6.4	$20.3	$33.9	$60.8	$305
Florida	$2,780.1	$559.1		$530.6	$129.2	$578.9	$317.1	$567.6	$5,463
Georgia	$1,453.5	$217.8		$265.5	$52.0	$194.6	$77.1	$138.0	$2,399
Hawaii	$70.8	$14.2		$13.3	$3.0	$11.1	$15.3	$27.3	$155
Idaho	$93.6	$18.8		$18.7	$4.3	$23.1	$10.5	$18.7	$188
Illinois	$2,046.7	$430.3	$93.2	$570.8	$154.4	$379.7	$328.7	$588.3	$4,592
Indiana	$310.5	$62.4		$56.4	$15.2	$37.6	$45.3	$81.1	$608
Iowa	$147.6	$29.7		$28.0	$8.6	$23.3	$40.3	$72.2	$350
Kansas	$215.8	$43.4	$1.5	$41.9	$11.6	$31.6	$34.4	$61.6	$442
Kentucky	$124.3	$25.0		$18.5	$5.5	$22.1	$46.9	$83.9	$326
Louisiana	$109.5	$22.0		$17.5	$4.2	$19.2	$18.4	$32.9	$224
Maine	$18.7	$3.8		$2.0	$0.9	$3.5	$13.2	$23.7	$66
Maryland	$921.4	$295.7		$174.2	$62.1	$137.7	$47.7	$85.5	$1,724
Massachusetts	$839.3	$168.8		$144.0	$71.1	$152.1	$174.5	$312.4	$1,862
Michigan	$314.1	$63.2		$62.4	$25.2	$66.0	$142.6	$255.3	$929
Minnesota	$305.3	$61.4		$70.7	$28.7	$62.8	$77.2	$138.1	$744
Mississippi	$59.9	$10.4		$9.4	$2.1	$7.8	$6.1	$10.8	$106
Missouri	$133.6	$26.9		$25.6	$8.3	$21.2	$44.0	$78.8	$338
Montana	$16.0	$3.2		$2.0	$0.7	$2.6	$2.6	$4.7	$32
Nebraska	$126.0	$25.3	$0.2	$24.8	$7.6	$26.4	$18.4	$33.0	$262
Nevada	$691.1	$139.0		$149.7	$32.8	$152.0	$9.5	$17.0	$1,191
New Hampshire	$54.6	$11.1		$8.8	$3.9	$7.8	$15.5	$27.7	$129
New Jersey	$2,209.8	$228.3		$334.4	$174.9	$335.7	$69.7	$124.8	$3,478
New Mexico	$345.1	$69.4	$0.7	$41.7	$22.5	$67.8	$21.8	$39.0	$608
New York	$4,879.4	$946.3	$22.2	$675.2	$281.6	$865.3	$648.2	$1,160.3	$9,479
North Carolina	$1,032.4	$207.6		$190.5	$59.5	$155.4	$149.7	$267.9	$2,063
North Dakota	$15.4	$3.1		$2.5	$0.9	$1.9	$3.3	$6.0	$33
Ohio	$211.4	$42.5		$41.7	$14.6	$51.8	$144.5	$258.7	$765
Oklahoma	$204.1	$41.1	$0.6	$43.4	$9.8	$37.2	$46.3	$82.8	$465
Oregon	$354.2	$71.2		$60.7	$19.0	$110.8	$31.9	$57.1	$705
Pennsylvania	$450.5	$125.4		$78.1	$33.0	$74.3	$221.0	$395.6	$1,378
Rhode Island	$158.7	$27.4		$23.8	$14.8	$21.9	$11.3	$20.3	$278
South Carolina	$221.6	$44.6		$30.2	$7.2	$28.0	$21.2	$37.9	$391
South Dakota	$13.5	$2.7		$2.8	$0.7	$3.9	$5.5	$9.8	$39
Tennessee	$231.8	$49.8		$53.5	$14.2	$41.4	$55.9	$100.1	$547
Texas	$5,089.0	$1,023.4	$25.9	$1,167.5	$250.7	$727.9	$212.9	$381.2	$8,878
Utah	$239.2	$48.1	$2.9	$57.7	$9.9	$53.8	$14.8	$26.5	$453
Vermont	$18.4	$3.7		$2.2	$0.7	$2.0	$12.9	$23.0	$63
Virginia	$882.7	$401.7		$205.0	$60.4	$132.6	$79.8	$142.9	$1,905
Washington	$639.3	$128.6	$7.7	$146.2	$46.0	$127.2	$148.9	$266.5	$1,510
West Virginia	$14.7	$3.0		$1.6	$0.5	$1.3	$17.9	$32.0	$71
Wisconsin	$288.9	$58.1	$1.3	$48.2	$13.5	$68.1	$145.1	$259.7	$883
Wyoming	$26.3	$5.3		$3.4	$0.9	$5.5	$6.4	$11.4	$59
TOTAL	$40,883.0	$8,269.9	$244.1	$8,553.1	$2,270.4	$8,687.2	$5,484.9	$9,817.9	$84,211
* Free and subsidized school meal costs are included with General outlays. **LEP = Limited English Proficient

See Table 15 (Pages 70-71)

Federal Taxes Collected from Illegal Aliens

Income Tax	$1,635,000,000
Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) for Illegal Aliens	($1,777,800,000)
Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC)	($2,160,000,000)

Net Income Taxes Collected

($2,302,800,000)

Net Income Taxes Collected	($2,302,800,000)
Social Security Tax	$7,000,000,000
Medicare Tax	$1,637,100,000
Excise and Miscellaneous Taxes	$2,489,700,000
Employer Taxes (FUTA & Income)	$632,600,000
TOTAL	$9,456,600,000

See pages 33-41, and Table 6 (Page 41).

State and Local Taxes Collected from Illegal Aliens

Property Tax	$1,378,400,000
Sales Tax	$2,332,600,000
Income Tax	$244,200,000
TOTAL	$3,955,200,000

See Table 17 (Page 76) for breakdown by state.

SOURCE - Martin, Jack and Eric A. Ruark, “Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers,” Federation for American Immigration Reform, Washington, DC, July 2010. (PDF) RELATED - Illegal Aliens Got $4.2 Billion in Tax Credits from IRS in Year 2010 - IRS incentivising more illegal immigration - MEXICAN IMMIGRATION LAWS ARE TOUGHER THAN U.S. LAWS

Obama Gov’t Wastes $10.3 Billion in Improper Unemployment Payments in 2012

CNSNews.com reports: The Federal-State Unemployment Insurance program paid out $10.3 billion in benefits in 2012 to people who should not have received the money, according to the Department of Labor (DOL). The data provided on the government website, paymentaccuracy.gov, shows those payments amount to 11.42 percent of all the unemployment insurance checks handed out – an increase from 11.36 percent in 2011 and in excess of the government’s “target” for overpayments of 9.66  percent. [...] The “program contents” portion of the website states that 70 percent of the $10.3 billion that was paid out in 2012 was done so through one of three scenarios: “individuals did not meet their active work search requirements, continued to claim UI benefits after they had returned to work, or were ineligible for benefits because they voluntarily quit  their jobs or were discharged for misconduct.”

Hillary Clinton No $$$ for Benghazi Security, but Spent Millions for Art, Kindles, Obama Books, Mosques Restorations, …

(Image by Looking Spoon via Weasel Zippers)

During yesterday’s Benghazi testimony, Hillary Clinton lied about the State Department not having enough funding to provide proper security for the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. But in fact the State Department ($50+ billion dollar annual budget) had enough money for these items: ● $4.5 million for Art in Embassies ● $16 million dollars on 2,500 kindle book readers at the drastically inflated price of $6,600 per device (that retails for $189) ● $$ Millions to preserve mosques and minarets in 27 different Islamic countries ● $150,000+ for a Chevy Volt and its charging station for the US Embassy in Austria ● $150,000 to spend on a book about the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Italy ● $79,000 to spend on Obama’s books ● $20,000 on a portrait of Obama And also: ● $7.9 billion dollars for Obama’s Global Health Initiative ● $2.9 billion for international debt relief ● $2.2 billion to strengthen democratic institutions in Pakistan ● $770 million dollar Middle East and North Africa Incentive Fund for the failed Arab Spring which has put extremist Islamists in power ● $587 million for student exchange programs ● $469 million for global climate change ● $200 million dollars were wasted on Iraqi police training that never went anywhere The Obama administration repeatedly rejected requests for more security in Benghazi, even though Islamist militias attacked the consulate multiple times prior to the 9/11/2012 attack and Ambassador Stevens repeatedly notified the administration about increasing security threats in Libya. MORE Details and sources via FrontPageMag.com here and here. RELATED - Hillary Clinton Lies at Libya Hearing about not Blaming the Mohammed Video