MCALLEN, Texas - New research shows Hispanic households in the Rio Grande Valley paid $4.3 billion in taxes and held nearly $15 billion in spending power in 2019.
The research was collated by Texans for Economic Growth in conjunction with the RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The two groups say their factsheets underscore the crucial role Hispanic residents play in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro and larger Rio Grande Valley region.
“The Hispanics in the Rio Grande Valley, whether native born or immigrants, contribute to several important industries that wouldn't be able to survive without them,” said Cynthia M. Sakulenzki, president and CEO of the RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“The hospitality, agriculture, medical, food industry and others are prime examples. They contribute not only taxes to the area, but they also are very active in the schools that their children attend as well as their churches and other community events.”
Sakulenzki added: “They (Hispanics) have contributed greatly to the economy as some have opened up their own businesses, created jobs and most are expected to expand to other locations. The whole United States would be in deep despair without the help of the Hispanic community.”
Texans for Economic Growth is a statewide business coalition with more than 125 members. It is powered by the American Immigration Council.
“Texas is home to 11.5 million Hispanic Americans, 1.3 million of whom call the Rio Grande Valley home. Texas simply isn’t ‘Texas’ without their crucial contributions,” said Chelsie Kramer, Texas state organizer for the American Immigration Council.
“With June being Immigrant Heritage Month, it is also important to highlight that foreign-born Hispanic residents of the Rio Grande Valley are contributing to the region and state in myriad ways, including paying over $1.3 billion in taxes annually which funds services and infrastructure projects that benefit all.”
The groups have created two new factsheets about the RGV economy that are based on data that showed the importance of Hispanics to the state’s economy. This data was first released in November 2021.
Here are the key findings:
About Texans for Economic Growth
Texans for Economic Growth is a coalition of more than 125 Texas business leaders and associations dedicated to recognizing and supporting the positive impact that immigrants have on the Texas economy as business owners, taxpayers, and consumers. With its launch on February 26, 2019, the coalition released the Texas Compact on Immigration, a set of principles signed by more than 145 Texas business leaders and groups to guide the immigration discussion at the state and federal level. Texans for Economic Growth supports common-sense federal immigration reforms, as well as statewide policies that recognize the valuable contributions immigrants make to the state. Learn more at txcompact.org.
About the American Immigration Council
The American Immigration Council works to strengthen America by shaping how America thinks about and acts towards immigrants and immigration and by working toward a more fair and just immigration system that opens its doors to those in need of protection and unleashes the energy and skills that immigrants bring. The Council brings together problem solvers and employs four coordinated approaches to advance change—litigation, research, legislative and administrative advocacy, and communications. In January 2022, the Council and New American Economy merged to combine a broad suite of advocacy tools to better expand and protect the rights of immigrants, more fully ensure immigrants’ ability to succeed economically, and help make the communities they settle in more welcoming. Follow the latest Council news and information on ImmigrationImpact.com and Twitter @immcouncil.
About the RGV Hispanic Chamber
The mission of the RGV Hispanic Chamber is to promote economic development and assist businesses to access the Hispanic market through networking, promoting education and nurturing leadership. Its in-house satellite offices of SBA, UTPA-SBDC, and Acción Texas provide financial assistance and guidance. The purpose is to serve the ever-growing small business community all along the South Texas border.
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