Immigration Project University)

8/3/2019 Immigration Project University)

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WhyIAmDoingThis?

FromthetimemygrandfatherimmigratedtoBelgium,tothe

recentgenerationofwhichIwasbornandbreed,Belgiumhas

experiencedsignificantchangesbothculturallyandeconomically.My

counselorandIthoughtthiswouldbeagreatopportunityto

investigate,connectingimmigrationwiththepost-recessionstatusof

myhomecountry.

Thespecificquestionbeingansweredis:Whatrelationshipexistsamongstillegal/legalimmigrantswithrespecttothe

Belgianeconomy?


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~Special Thanks To Mr.Heylen, Vice-Mayor of Antwerp, for taking

time out for an interview.

~Thanks to my counselor for encouraging me to take the initiative and

pursue my love in economics.


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Tableofcontents

WhyIAmDoingThis?...2

SpecialThanks......3

ImmigrationandEconomics?.............5

BelgiumToday.....................................................7

Profile:Mr.PhilipHeylen..........8

Profile:Mr.NishitParikh...9

Profile:Mrs.SafiaFitzpatrick10

Profile:Mr.AlfonsWouters....11

Profile:Mr.JackyStrausberg.12

Profile:Mrs.LlermaTayal...13

Profile:Mr.LaurentAbergel..14

WhatIWouldDoifIWastheGovernment.............15

InterestingFacts..............15

Evaluation...................16

Conclusion....................................................................................18

Bibliography..................18


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ImmigrationandEconomics?

Withinthe20thcentury,Belgiumspeakimmigrationlevelswereduring

the50sand60s.Thenexthighestinfluxofpeoplecameduringthe70sand

80s,whenahighdemandoflaborerswereneededforjobswhichwere

undesiredbynativeBelgians.Infact,Belgiumhasthesecondhighestratefor

grantingcitizenshipstoimmigrants,afterCanada.1

Figure1:ImmigrantsinBelgium2

Withthemassentryofdiversenationalities,onewouldpondertheimpact

ontheeconomy.Initially,itwaseasyformanytofindemploymentandestablish

anewlifeforthemselves.Thistrendcontinuedevenwiththeconversionfrom

theBelgianFranctotheEuroinJanuary20023.Thingssoonchangedasthe

2008recessionhaltedproductionandbackfiredonmany,leavingthemstranded

inthisnewcountry.Factoringinthekeyroleofimmigrants,manyofthemhave

takenonblue-collarpositionshelpingBelgiumrecoveritsmainsourceof

income,exportcommerce.4

1http://www.eupedia.com/belgium/trivia.shtml2

http://immigration-online.org/373-belgian-immigrants.html3http://www.gocurrency.com/countries/euro.htm4http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/75126/E71203.pdf


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Figure2:InflationRate5

-NoticetherisinginflationfromJanuary2009toJanuary2011

Figure3:UnemploymentRate6

Thenaturalrateofunemploymentisestimatedtobe6%,however,Belgiums

unemploymentratewasatahigh8.4%inJanuary2011.

5http://www.tradingeconomics.com/belgium/inflation-cpi6http://data.worldbank.org/country/belgium


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BelgiumToday

Afterrecentlyexperiencingarecession,twoconsecutivequartersof

negativeGDPgrowth7,theBelgianeconomyisapproximatelyatpointAonthe

businesscycle.Particularly,ontherecoveryphase,whichmeansrealoutputis

slowlyincreasingandunemploymentisgraduallydecreasing.8

Figure4:BelgiumsBusinessCycle9

-Atthispointintime,pleasefeelfreetostartthevideo:

http://youtu.be/cPueknMxikE

7

Nancy2648Jocelyn1929Jocelyn192


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A

Ithinkyouhavetobeanopensociety,amodernsociety,asocietythatwelcomespeople~ViceMayorofAntwerp,PhilipHeylen.

Amassgrowthspurtofimmigrantsinthe70sand80swasduetoopenpositionsinfactoriesandindustrialsectors,ofwhichBelgiannativeswereunwillingtofulfill.LargepopulationsfromAfrica&easternEuropecametoBelgiumforbetteropportunity,Abetterlife,anewlifeforthemselvesandfortheirchildren.Theconcernfollowingthesemassmovementsishaving

aflowofpeople,especiallyillegalimmigrantswhereeveryonejumpsin.OncetheyentertheEuropeanUnion(EU)theaccessibilityoftransitioningfromonecountrytoanotherisquite

simple.DifficultyinapplyingforcitizenshipandaccessingaBelgianPassporthasbeenthemaindeterrentforillegalimmigrants.DespiteBelgiumenforcingstrongimmigrationlaws,Mr.HeylenbelievesImmigrationneedstobesolvedonaEuropeanInternationalLevel.EnforcementpoliciesincludesendingadocumentviatheBelgianPolicetoleavetheterritoryimmediately.However,thereisdifficultybetweenstrongermigrationlawsandtheenforcementofthoselaws.Itisnotalwayspossibletoknowwhetherornotillegalimmigrantshaveleftbacktotheircountryoforigin.Mr.ViceMayormaintainsanopenmindinhelpingthoseimmigrantswhoareinrealneed,butcantopenbordersforeveryone.

Where do I start? Keynesian economists believe fluctuations in theeconomy are due to changes in aggregate demand (AD), the total outputthat will be purchased at each price level. The components of AD are:Consumption (C), Investment (I), Government Spending (Gs) and NetExports (Nx).

Mr. Heylen reveals the Belgian economy is heavily dependent on exports.The net export effect states that a continuously appreciating euroagainst the US dollar enables Belgian consumers to purchase additionaldollars, which are used to purchase American goods. Thus, boostingBelgiums imports. Simultaneously, the USD relatively depreciates,weakening US consumers in Belgian markets. Consequently, less Belgiangoods are bought, leading to a decrease in Belgiums exports. Net

exports (exports - imports) decreases, leading to a leftward shift ofthe AD curve from AD1 to AD2.


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The economy is then operating at Y1,below the full-employment level of

output of Ye, causing the highunemployment rate of 8.4%illustrated by the recessionary gap. Inaddition, the economy experienceddeflation, a sustained decrease in thegeneral price level, from Pe to P1.

So what can the Belgiangovernment do to help pull outfrom this recession?Belgiums budget deficit, withgovernment spending exceeding

government revenue, implies thegovernment is using demand-sidepolicies. In particular, expansionaryfiscal policy, government actions toraise aggregate demand through

maintaining a steady amount of government spending (Gs) but lowering taxes inorder to catalyze consumer spending (C). Thus, shifting AD from AD1 to AD2, withan additional boost due to the multiplier effect, an increase in national incomegreater than the initial amount of spending.

Mr. Heylen states that having cheaper loans is another option for the Belgiangovernment to assist consumers during the recession. This is feasible by usingmonetary policy, the deliberate actions of the central bank to expand or contractthe money supply in order to alter the trend of the economy. The government cando this by: purchasing government securities (aka open market operations), loweringthe reserve ratio, and finally by reducing the discount rate. Any of these easymoney policies would have the impact of increasing the money supply from MS1 toMS2 in the money market, lowering interest rates from r1 to r2 as shown below.This decrease in the cost of production to firms increases the total amount ofinvestment (I) in the economy from Q1 to Q2. Because Investment spending is acomponent of AD, AD1 shifts to AD2, back to the full-employment level of output.However, the tradeoff for increasing Real GDP is inflation, from P1 t0 Pe.

De

Mr. Philip Heylen anticipates implementing these government policies will assist ineliminating the recessionary gap as well as bringing stability to the Belgian economy atthe full-employment level of output (Ye).


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DespitebeinganimmigrantfromIndia,Mr.Parikhhasovercomeobstaclestoworkhiswayupthroughthediamondbusinesshisfatherstarted.Atthetenderageof4,hisfamilyimmigratedtoBelgiumandeventuallyhewouldtakeoverandmastertheartofthediamond

business.Havingcomesofar,thisinfluentialimmigranthasdisprovedthestereotypesthatcirclethetermimmigration,nowholdingoneofthemostprestigioustitlesaspresidentoftheAntwerpWorldDiamondCenter.Heisan

inspirationtootherimmigrants,forthemtoholdstrongtotheiraspirationsandgoforthwiththeirdreams.AsstatedbyMr.Parikh,you(Belgium)neednewbloodandhardworkingpeopletohelptheeconomygrowandstrengthen.Youneedcompetitiontoimprovethelivelihoodhere.

Overall, the Belgian economy would be affectedby the drop of sales in the Diamond industry. Mr.Parikh is correct seeing that diamonds are aluxury not a necessity, and it makes up the

largest portion of the Belgian GDP, which in turnaffects the citizens income. How you ask??? Its asimple equation

NATIONAL INCOME = REAL GDP

In simple terms, there is a direct correlationwhen one goesup, so does the other.

Whilediamondsareagirlsbestfriend,duringamajorrecessionperhaps

Belgianchocolatesareyourbestbetgentlemen!


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Beforetherecession,Mrs.Fitzpatrickwassettingattainablerevenuegoalsforstylists,nailtechsandtheotheremployeesinaspa.However,the2008recessioncompletelyrevampedpeoplesspendinghabits.Haircuts

andpedicureswerenolongeressentialsthusimpactingtheSpasrevenuebudget.Agreeingwithherhusbandthatachangewasnecessary,theFitzpatricksmovedtoBelgiuminsearchofnewopportunities.Beinga

naturalizedU.S.citizen,originallyborninKenya,Belgiumsvisaissuancerequiredtheoriginalbirthcertificate.After3monthsofcontinuedpatience,thepaperworkwascompletedandgettingemploymentwasnext.Whowouldexpect,however,aftergraduatingfromtheUniversityofMichiganwithaB.S.inMovementSciencewithafocusinOccupationalTherapy,thatMrs.Fitzpatrickwouldgomonthsandmonthsonendwithoutfindingagoodjob.

It seems what Mrs. Fitzpatrick was experiencingis what we call Frictional Unemployment. Also

known as natural unemployment, which useconomists define as the short-term unemploymentthat occurs when people leave their job in hope offinding a better one. This sort of unemploymentcould be beneficial for the economy. The assumptionis that people will move to a position in whichthey are more productive and can contribute moreto the economy.

WhyCantAllunemploymentbeFrictionalUnemployment?!


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BornandraisedinBelgium,AlfonsWouters,hasestablishedhimselfasaworld-renownedkaratesensei.Hisservicesincludetrainingmostlyyoungergenerationsinself-defenseforrealworldsituations.Infact,Mr.Wouters

believesthatacontributingfactortotheincreasedcrimerateinBelgiumhastodowithsomeoftheyoungerMoroccanimmigrantswhoinitiallycomeoverwithidlehands.ImmigrantsyeartoyearchangemoreandmorefromMoroccoand

Turkey.Duetotheincreasedfearinthestreets,peoplehavefoundtheneedtobeprepared.AnincentiveforhavingbuilthisreputationonqualityserviceisthatMr.Wouterswasoneoftheveryfewwhowasnotseverelyaffectedbythe2008economicmeltdown.

Us economists assume that people make decisions on the margin,where they weigh the marginal benefits, against the marginal costs.

Meaning:The amount people are willing to give up in order to obtain onemore unit of a good V.S. the value of what is given up in order toproduce that additional unit.

In this case, Mr. Wouters customers felt the optimal decision wasspending their money on self-defense rather than spending itelsewhere. However, such a decision leads to opportunity costs, thenext-best alternatives forgone. In simple terms, by spending theirmoney on Karate, the customers were unable to spend that moneyon other goods and services.


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Mr.JackieStrausbergcarriesdualcitizenshipinbothBelgiumandIsrael.HispassionforgolfhasledhimtobeamajorshareholderattheRoyalAntwerpGolfClub.Thisprestigiouspositionhasplacedhiminthe45%income

taxbracketforthemajorityofhislife.Afterrecentlybecomingagrandfather,Mr.Strausbergbelievespaying35ministersin3parliamentsisaterriblewasteofmoney.Instead,hewouldliketoseethemoneybeinginvested

towardthegreatercauseofeducation.

According to supply-side economists, implementing theirinterventionist policies such as education and training will improvethe quality of labor, a determinant of long-run aggregate supply(LRAS). Resulting in a shift of the LRAS curve rightward from LRAS1to LRAS2, which promotes economic growth, an increase in real GDPfrom Y1 to Y2, over a period of time.

However, a weakness to such a policy is that it is time consuming; thereforenot strengthening the Belgian economy in the short-run.


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"Lifeislikeaboxofchocolates-youneverknowwhatyou'regoingtoget.ForrestGumpin"ForrestGump"(1994).ForLlermaTayal,thisquotedescribedherlifetoatee!Borninathirdworldcountry,thePhilippines,sheneverpicturedherselfmarryingaBelgian,movingtoAntwerp,andlivingalifewithacompletelydifferentepicenter.

What is Standard of Living?The level of wealth, comfort, material goods and necessities available toa certain socioeconomic class in a certain geographic area.

Few would question Mrs. Tayals decision to immigrate due to the vastdifferences in the standard of living between Belgium and thePhilippines.

Table1:StandardofLivingComparison

Researchshowsthatchocolatereleasesendorphins,akathehappyhormoneinthe

brain.ThisdefinitelygivesBelgiumsstandardoflivinganincreasedadvantage.NobodycanorshouldresistaBelgianChocolate.

Factor Philippines BelgiumGDPPerCapita(2010) $3,500 $37,800

RealGDPGrowthRate 7.3% 2%

Chanceofgettinginfectedbyamajordisease

High Verylow

Lifeexpectancyatbirth 71.66years 79.5years

Literacy(Age15andoverthatcanreadandwrite)

92.6% 99%

Infantmortalityrate 19.34deaths/1,000livebirths

4.33deaths/1,000livebirths

Unemploymentrate 7.3% 8.5%

Populationbelowpovertyline 32.9% 15.2%


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AsayoungMoroccanimmigrant,LaurentcameoverwithhisfatherwhofoundedthefamilyPetrochemicalbusiness,Arpadis.PetrochemicalsisnotthemostsignificantportionofthecountrysGDP,however,it

remainsavaluablepart.Mr.Abergelstatesthathisbusinessexperiencedsomeshrinkageduetohiscustomersbeingdirectlyaffected.Inturn,hestillisntabletoregainthevolumesofcustomersheoncehadpriorto2008.Beforethattime,ArpadishadcontributedtotheBelgianeconomybycreatingjobsforover

100peopleincludingimmigrants.Nowlookingback,Mr.Abergelfindshavingdiversityinacountrymorebeneficialtohisbusiness,andtriestohelpqualifiedimmigrantsreceiveworkastheyrebuildfromtheeconomicdownfall.Whilehewasabletofollowinhisfathersfootsteps,manyotherMoroccansunfortunatelyfounditdifficulttofindprofessionsinBelgium.Belgiumvirtuallyhasnonaturalresources,thereforeitisessentialthatthecountrymaximizestheuseofitsotherindustrialsectorstoprovidelaboropportunitiesin:textiles,automobiles,foodprocessingandpharmaceuticals.

The Production PossibilitiesFrontier represents a nationspotential output, when allresources are being used tomaximum efficiency. BecauseBelgium is lacking its fullpotential in outsourcingproducts by not employing allof its labor, a factor ofproduction, the nation is saidto be inefficient and operatinginside the PPC frontier (for example, point A).


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WhatIwoulddoifIwasthegovernment?

AstheBelgiangovernment,mymainfocusforchangewouldincludethe

taxratesasawhole.Currently,Belgiumisusingaprogressivetaxratesystemon

allincomes10.Myresolutioninvolvesashortandlongtermproject.Intheshort

run,Iwouldincreasetheoverallpercentagesonincometaxestohelpeliminate

thecountriesbudgetdeficit.However,oncethestatusisbalanced,Iwouldthen

reverttodecreasingtheincometaxestoalesserstatusthenthatofitsoriginin

ordertopromotelong-termeconomicgrowth.Thiscurrenttaxsystem

disincentivizesfirmsfromincreasingproduction,duetotheinflatedcosts.

Moreover,discouragingconsumerspending,whichonaverageconsistsof60%oftheeconomy11.

MynextconcernwouldaddressBelgiumsrelianceonexports.Itiscrucial

tomaintainaproportionaleurovs.dollarandeurovs.yuanrate,withChinaand

theUSbeingthetwomajorimportersofBelgiangoods.Infact,withBelgium

beinganexport-ledgrowthcountry,atradebalancesurplusisessential,where

exportsexceedimports.Thus,Ithegovernmentwillpersistentlyinterveneintheforeignexchangemarkettopreventtheeurofromappreciatingatallcosts.With

alowvaluedcurrency,Belgiangoodswillbecheapertoforeignconsumers,

encouragingthemtopurchasemoreofourgoods.Thus,ourexportrevenue

increases,enablingustoimportmoreasourtermsoftradeameliorate.

Regardingmyapprehensionwithexistingarrangementofthe

government,orlackthereofhaving35ministersforthreeparliaments(Flanders,Wallonia,andGerman)12,Iwouldlooktocreateamoreefficient

structure.Thisnewstructurewillconsistof3representativesforeachsect.The

incomefromtheother26ministerscanbeoutsourcedtowardimprovingthe

localschoolsinBelgium.

10

http://data.worldbank.org/country/belgium11http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle/articleid/425565312http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2874.htm


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Figure5:BelgiumsAnnualGDPGrowthRate13

Thesepolicies,hopefully,willhelpwithBelgiumsprosperityandcontinuethe

trendofincreasingGDPgrowthratefrom2011onwards.

13http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=be&v=66


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InterestingFactsAboutBelgium

Belgiumproduces220,000tonsofchocolateeveryyear.Whencalculated,perpersonconsumptioncomesto22kgofchocolateannually!14

TheworldsbiggestchocolatesellingpointisBrusselsNationalAirport.15 BrusselsRoyalPalaceisbiggerthanBuckinghamPalace.16 French-speakingBelgiumistheworldsbiggestproducerofcomicspercapita.17 BelgiumhasthehighesttaxrateinanyOECDcountry18 Belgiumsparliamenthasthehighestnumberoffemaleministers.19 Belgiumsmotorwayistheonlyman-madestructurevisiblefromthemoon20 Belgiumwaselected9timesattheUNSecurityCouncil(1947,1948,1955,1956,1971,1972,1991,1992,2007).21

KarlMarxwrotehisManifestowhileinexileinBrussels,between1845-1848.22 BelgiumprovidedtheuraniumfortheA-BombdroppedonHiroshima.23 Belgiumistheworldsmaindiamondcenter(inAntwerp).24 BelgiumhasgonethelongestwithoutaFederalgovernment,511daysasofNovember6th,2011.25

14http://www.facts.co/Belgium-Facts/BelgiumFacts.php15http://www.stumblerz.com/interesting-facts-about-belgium/16http://www.eupedia.com/belgium/brussels_upper_town_attractions.shtml17http://www.brussels-belgium-travel-guide.com/cool-facts-on-belgium.html18http://www.economist.com/node/18584584/comments?page=219http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-belgium-1625.html20http://www.buzzle.com/articles/interesting-facts-on-belgium.html21http://www.eupedia.com/belgium/trivia.shtml22http://www.eupedia.com/belgium/trivia.shtml23

http://www.eupedia.com/belgium/trivia.shtml24http://www.facts.co/Belgium-Facts/BelgiumFacts.php25http://lerecorddumonde.be/


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Evaluation

OneofthemethodsforcalculatingGDPistheExpenditureApproach.

Jean-BaptisteSayslawstates,withsupplynaturallycomesdemand26thus

economistsassumeeverythingproducedwillbesold.Thefinalvalueofallthe

goodsandservicessoldarethensummedintothecountrystotalexpenditure,

whichrepresentsthecountriesRealGDP.27

ImpactofLegalImmigrationontheeconomy

Negativeaspectsofincreasedimmigrantsincludeafeelingamongst

certainnatives,asdemonstratedbytheinterviewsconducted,thatsomeethnic

groupsinparticulararecontributingtothehighcrimerate.Crimecanharm

consumerconfidencebydiscouragingcitizensfrompurchasinghighlyexpensive

items.Therefore,immigrantsbringingfearmayactuallydecreasethenations

RealGDPratherthanincreaseit.

Nevertheless,statisticshaveprovenadirectlinkbetweenthenumberof

immigrantsinBelgiumandthenationsGDPforthepastdecade.Asmorepeople

enter,itisexpectedthattheywillspendmoney,ultimatelycontributingtothe

economybyincreasingRealGDPduetotheadditionalspending.Thetotal

expenditureinBelgiumhasrisendespiteanypossibledecreasesduetofallsin

consumerconfidence,asillustratedbyFigure5.Hence,legalimmigrationhas

hadapositiveimpactontheBelgianeconomy,witharecentWorldBankstudyin

2011evenrankingBelgiumasthe25thbestcountryforbusiness.28

However,itmustbenotedthatimmigrationisnotthesolereasonforthe

riseinBelgiumsGDP,asmanyotherfactorsinfluencetheeconomy.Butforthe

purposeofthisinvestigation,itisassumed,Ceterusparibus,allexternalfactors

remainconstant.29

26http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Say.html27

Jocelyn15128http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/belgium/29Matt17


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Since1974,Belgianbordershavebeenofficiallyclosedduetolabor

migration.30Although,thisclosurehasnotbeenenforced,31aslabormigration

hasremainedpossibleforhighlyqualifiedworkers.Thepositiveaspectofdoing

soisthattheseskilledlaborersareapartialsolutiontothelabormarketshortages.32AspeoplefromdifferentculturesmergeintoBelgium,new

industrieshavedevelopedandprovidedtheBelgianeconomywithmore

versatility.AcommondayexampleistheAntwerpdiamondindustry;today,

dominatedbyimmigrantsemergingfromIndia,Israel,andLebanon.

ImpactofIllegalImmigrationontheeconomy

Illegalimmigrationisadifferentcase,asthesepeoplewillreapthe

healthcarebenefitsinBelgium,whichisapproximately95%.Inaddition,illegal

immigrantswillcreateblackmarketssellinggoodsandservicesatun-

comparablylowprices.Whereas,otherfirmswillhavenochoicebuttosellatthe

minimumpricesstandardizedbythegovernment.Furthermore,thisunbearable

competitionwillultimatelycausemanyofthenationslegalfirmstobankruptcy.

Tocombatsuchasituation,severalpoliceandinspectionservicesworkwiththe

Foreignersofficetoconductlarge-scaleworkplaceraids.33Yet,illegal

immigrationisaconstantworryandessentiallyaburdenfortheBelgian

economy.

BelgianeconomyforLegalImmigrants

Sincethe2008recession,firmshavedecidedtoreducetheircostsby

firingvastnumbersofemployees.Thiscreatedadifficultenvironmentfor

immigrantsenteringBelgium,asthepost-recessionunemploymentratein

Belgiumwasstillastaggering8.4%bytheendof2010.34Inaddition,Belgian

citizenshavetopaythehighestincometaxrateinanyOrganizationfor

30http://www.socialwatch.eu/2009/Belgium.html31http://www.socialwatch.eu/2009/Belgium.html32

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3003782433http://www.socialwatch.eu/2009/Belgium.html34http://www.indexmundi.com/belgium/unemployment_rate.html


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EconomicCooperationandDevelopment(OECD)country.35Yet,thesocial

benefitsreceivedareminimalasthemajorityofthetaxmoneyisbeingused

inefficientlywiththestandardoflocalschoolingremainingpoor.

Withtroublefindingwork,noimprovementineducation,andpaying

almosthalfoftheirincomeintaxes,legalimmigrantsshouldseekalternative

locations.

BelgianeconomyforIllegalimmigrants

ManyimmigrantsmovingintoBelgiumhavediscoverednumerous

businessopportunities.EversinceBelgiumsignedtheSchengenAgreementin

198536,ithasbecomepartofaCommonMarket,afreetradeareaincludinga

selected25neighboringEuropeannationswithnointernaltariffs,andthefree

mobilityofcapital.37Thisliberatedtransportationallowsfirmstoexpandtheir

businessestoadditionalmarketswithgreatease.Thenegativeaspectofsuchan

agreementisthatwithoutanypassportcontrol,ittohasbecomerelativelyeasy

forillegalimmigrantstotransportaroundinsearchofvariousjobs.

Illegalimmigrantswillavoidpayinghighincometaxes,andsoBelgium

wouldbeanideallocationforthirdworldcountryinvaders.Evenifillegal

immigrantsreceivelessthantheminimumwageofBelgium,1,498.87per

month38,itisfairtoassumethattheirearningswillstillbefarhigherthanthatof

intheirhomenation.Inaddition,findingjobsforthesecitizenswouldbeeasier

thanemployinganative,asemployerswouldnothavetopaysocialsecurity,

makingthesehiresmorerisky,yetmoreattractive.

Withplentyoffrontlinejobopportunitiesavailable,Belgiumwouldbea

utopiansiteforanillegalimmigrant.

35www.businesspundit.com/12-countries-with-the-highest-lowest-tax-rates/36

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4738063.stm37Nancy4338http://www.fedee.com/minwage.html


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Conclusion:

Pushingmyselftomeetpeoplefromdifferingbackgrounds,nationalities,

andopinionswasafruitfulexperience.Infact,thismemoryisonethatIwill

treasure,knowingitwillremainnotoriousandhelpfulasafutureentrepreneur

andthroughoutmylifesdecisionmaking.

Forfurtherinformation,pleasefeelfreetobrowseandcommentonmyblog:

www.immigrationinbelgium.wordpress.com

Bibliography

Allwebsitesusedhavebeenmentionedinthefootnotesabove.

Textbooks:

Blink, Jocelyn, and Ian Dorton.Economics: Course Companion. N.p.: Oxford

University Press, 2007. Print.

McGee, Matt.Economics: in Terms of the Good, the Bad and the Economist. 2nd ed.

Victoria: IBID Press, 2007. Print.

Wall, Nancy. The Complete A-Z Economics & Business Studies Handbook. London:

Hodder & Stoughton, 2000. Print.

Documents

Immigration Project University)