Document Type
Report
Publication Date
12-2024
Abstract
Residents of Puerto Rico pay federal taxes. They did so to the tune of $5 billion in 2023. They have paid more than $3 billion a year in net contributions to the federal treasury for more than 10 years in a row. This is not a secret, but rather factual information that is publicly available. Yet, it is factual information that is not widely known. Moreover, it is information that flies in the face of the “people in Puerto Rico do not pay federal taxes” narrative. The volume of federal tax contributions originating in Puerto Rico reflects the rather dynamic colonial relation between Puerto Rico and the United States, a relationship that nevertheless makes manifest the subordination of Puerto Rico to the U.S. Congress.
