N.C. bill would tax wire transfers from illegal immigrants

RALEIGH (AP) — Opponents of a proposed tax on money wire transfers made by illegal immigrants say it would be impossible to enforce and could subject businesses to discrimination lawsuits.

But the chief sponsor of the bill likened such ID checks to the age restrictions placed on alcohol and tobacco purchases.

The House judiciary committee discussed the proposed tax without voting.

Republican Representative George Cleveland says he would check identification of people who speak broken English.

The bill would impose a five percent excise tax on the wire transactions. It's the latest in a series of measures filed in recent years that attempt to get a handle on the influx of undocumented workers moving into North Carolina.

An estimated 400,000 illegal immigrants live in the state, and about half of all Hispanic immigrants in the US send billions of dollars to their home countries.