Weekly Opinion/Editorial

MEXICANS DON’T LIKE WIRE TRANSFER BILL!
by Steve Fair

On Thursday, the Mexican House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution denouncing U.S. states that impose ‘remittance taxes,’ or ones that are currently considering such legislation. They also called upon the Mexican government to take trade measures against those states. Oklahoma was the primary target, with Kansas considering a similar bill. Trade measures would be imposed in states like Oklahoma and Kansas by Mexico as a way to respond and retaliate.
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Mexican Legislators believe that recently passed legislation in Oklahoma to be an “immoral, abusive and harmful” act against immigrants´ rights, according to the resolution sponsored by Congressman Ildefonso Guajardo (PRI-Nuevo Leon). Mexico is the number-one international trade partner of both Oklahoma and Kansas, the foreign market where they export the majority of products and services.

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The reason the Mexicans are upset is that HB 2250, authored by State Representative Randy Terrill, (R-Moore) and Senator Anthony Sykes, (R-Moore) increased fees that people pay to wire money in Oklahoma. The bill imposes a $5 fee plus an additional fee of one percent of the amount over $500 for each funds transfer through any licensed money transmitter.

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In response to the Mexican resolution, Senator Sykes said, “Obviously, we have struck a nerve. No telling how many millions of dollars have been flowing to Mexico out of Oklahoma; a large portion of it, due to narcotics trafficking and illegal aliens who work for cash, pay no taxes, and then send it by wire straight to Mexico. Our state’s new regulations on the wire transfers of money have obviously put a dent in this flow of cash to Mexico, and serve as a great tool for law enforcement to identify those engaged in such activity.”

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Terrill said, "This fee does not cost the legal, law-abiding citizens of the state of Oklahoma one red penny. This represents an attempt by a foreign nation to interfere with the sovereign actions of a U.S. state. We clearly have not only the right, but the responsibility to legislate for the public health, safety, morals and welfare of our citizens-not theirs.”

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And it’s not just the Mexican legislature that has attacked the bill. Critics say the bill violates the Oklahoma State Constitution (SQ 640) by raising taxes without going to vote of the people. They say it will penalize poor people who are the primary ones who use wire transferring. They also claim it will create illegitimate wire transfer businesses to spring up because of the increased costs.

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The real problem with the Mexican legislature and the critic’s argument is this:
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First, as Sykes pointed out a large percentage of the money being wire transferred out of Oklahoma is by ‘illegal’ immigrants. It’s amazing how often some overlook the simple fact these people entered our country illegally. They are lawbreakers. You can criticize our immigration laws, the lack of courage of the federal government to enforce the laws, and our ‘need’ for immigrant labor in various businesses, but the fact remains these immigrants are still here illegally.
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Second, if the criteria for a law to be enacted were their creation would produce no other illegal activities or enterprise, few laws could be written. Crooks always find ways to get around the law. There are plenty of laws on the books that would take care of the ‘illegitimate’ wire transfer businesses that may pop up. People who reason like this are advocates of ‘situational ethics.”
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Third, culturally Mexico is a society that believes bribery and corruption are a part of life. In a USA Today story two years ago, it was reported that Mexicans spent a whopping US$2.58 billion in bribes in 2007, some 42% more than they doled out just two years before. An estimated total of 197 million bribes were paid in 2007- a per capita rate of two per person. BRIBEline, found that 85 percent of bribe demands came from people associated with Mexico's government.

Forty-five percent of total demands came from police, twelve percent from federal government officials and the rest from local officials, the judiciary, and the military or ruling party officials.

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The blatant hypocrisy of the Mexican legislature to condemn Oklahoma for standing up for the rule of law is disingenuous. They and the gringos who are criticizing HB 2520 only want dollars to keep flowing into ‘the city of palaces’ (Mexico) from ‘illegal’ immigrants. Every US state should follow Oklahoma’s lead and pass similar legislation to slow the flow of illegal monies back to Mexico.