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This is true but it needs perspective, and I am by no means anti-immigrant. I'm actually a pretty open border person, and am 100% against Trump's proposals (tho

This is true but it needs perspective, and I am by no means anti-immigrant. I'm actually a pretty open border person, and am 100% against Trump's proposals (though perhaps there are some instances of H1B being abuse [see Disney].) However, this study should have a big caveat, for starters there are significantly more tax benefits for starting a business if you are an immigrant. Secondly, immigrants don't have entrenched interests or preoccupations that would otherwise give them a very high opportunity cost to starting their own business. So the start-up industry is a bit skewed in favor of immigrants naturally. I would love for us to equal the playing field, not by blocking immigrants, but by leveling the field on tax benefits and subsidies (ideally getting rid of subsidies and flattening the structure) and have reforms that lower the opportunity cost of all Americans that allows them to start their own business. There are way more reforms needed too outside of that, which everyone already has to deal with in regards to starting a business. So, imo, the complaint or point here shouldn't be that immigrants are better, or Americans are worse or there's only so much of the pie etc...it should be that we need reforms that makes it easier for everyone to start a business.

timewarrior 10y ago
Can you please share the details on the tax benefits? I am an immigrant and have started and sold companies and I didn't find any tax benefits.
- partiallypro 10y ago
  I should clarify, there's no -direct- tax benefits. It's largely to do with capital (immigrants generally pool capital better) which they can write off for years. Most Americans don't put up as much personal capital. There are also grant programs and guaranteed loans which immigrants can utilize which regular citizens generally don't have access to. Though on a whole the raising of capital is similar.
hn_throwaway_99 10y ago
> for starters there are significantly more tax benefits for starting a business if you are an immigrant. What, specifically, are you referring to here? I think a pretty easy explanation for the difference is that, almost by definition, if you are an immigrant you are someone who is uncomfortable with the status quo, and you are going to take a considerable risk to change it. It's not surprising those people would also be more inclined to be an entrepreneur than your average person.
Someone1234 10y ago
> for starters there are significantly more tax benefits for starting a business if you are an immigrant. For example? Legal US immigrants pay the same taxes as everyone else. > Secondly, immigrants don't have entrenched interests or preoccupations that would otherwise give them a very high opportunity cost to starting their own business. One of the most popular routes to US [legal] immigration is via family, which naturally leads to preoccupation. Your notion of who immigrants are is very skewed.

timewarrior 10y ago

Can you please share the details on the tax benefits? I am an immigrant and have started and sold companies and I didn't find any tax benefits.

partiallypro 10y ago
I should clarify, there's no -direct- tax benefits. It's largely to do with capital (immigrants generally pool capital better) which they can write off for years. Most Americans don't put up as much personal capital. There are also grant programs and guaranteed loans which immigrants can utilize which regular citizens generally don't have access to. Though on a whole the raising of capital is similar.

hn_throwaway_99 10y ago

> for starters there are significantly more tax benefits for starting a business if you are an immigrant. What, specifically, are you referring to here? I think a pretty easy explanation for the difference is that, almost by definition, if you are an immigrant you are someone who is uncomfortable with the status quo, and you are going to take a considerable risk to change it. It's not surprising those people would also be more inclined to be an entrepreneur than your average person.

Someone1234 10y ago

> for starters there are significantly more tax benefits for starting a business if you are an immigrant. For example? Legal US immigrants pay the same taxes as everyone else. > Secondly, immigrants don't have entrenched interests or preoccupations that would otherwise give them a very high opportunity cost to starting their own business. One of the most popular routes to US [legal] immigration is via family, which naturally leads to preoccupation. Your notion of who immigrants are is very skewed.