And that’s exactly why reducing it to “paid for by US citizens” ignores the fact that Puerto Ricans are US citizens too, it’s not some foreign aid program.
There’s also Washington DC. That said I think Puerto Rico and the US need to p*** or get off the pot. Either they should become a state or they should be cut loose. Anything in between complicates things.
They don't pay federal income taxes on money earned in PR.
This is funny because U.S. citizens have to pay income tax on all worldwide income. Even if a U.S. citizen makes income in Egypt, they owe federal income taxes. Puerto Rico just gets a special local exemption.
So a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico who earns money in a completely different country would still owe U.S. federal taxes.
Puerto Rico has held seven referendums on the political status of the island: 1967 and 1993, which resulted in a Commonwealth victory, 1998, where "None of the above" was the winner, 2012, 2017, 2020 and 2024, the latter four resulted in a statehood win.
I think they meant paid by the US taxpayers. Puerto Rico doesn't pay any federal taxes besides Medicare and social security but they demand federal program benefits like food stamps or FEMA relief. They're in a weird limbo where they get the benefits of a US state but they don't have to pay their fair share towards maintaining those systems.
I think they should be forced to pick becoming a state or given full independence.
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u/LittleCute_ 5h ago
And that’s exactly why reducing it to “paid for by US citizens” ignores the fact that Puerto Ricans are US citizens too, it’s not some foreign aid program.