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Questions and answers of general interest and consumer topics.

Q: How much does it cost North Carolina taxpayers annually to support illegal immigration? Please include judicial system, education, medical, etc. E.B., Fayetteville

A: Theres a few answers to this, depending on who you ask. The nonprofit organization Federation for American Immigration Reform estimates illegal immigration costs taxpayers roughly $2 billion a year.

The figure equates to $578 for every household headed by a native-born or naturalized American citizen, according to a 2014 report from the organization advocating for immigration reform for future generations.

The report also breaks down the economic impact of illegal immigration in different areas: $1.3 million on education for grades K-12, $232 million for health care, $216 million for justice and law enforcement, $212 million for general government services and $79 million for public assistance.

This concentration of illegal aliens 4.3 percent of the overall population is higher than the national average of 3.9 percent, and ranks North Carolina as the 11th most impacted state in the country.

But other experts and some organizations say the results are flawed. A report from WBTV said The Latin American Coalition questions the study, noting there are benefits illegal immigrants bring to the country for which the study doesnt account.

Alicia Banks

Q: My apartment complex sends out a newsletter. It said remember Tax Day is April 15, but thats a Saturday. Is that correct? M.R., Fayetteville

A: An honest, easy mistake to make, M.R. It stays within the workweek, and this year the deadline date is Tuesday, April 18.

So why April 18?

Washington, D.C., celebrates Emancipation Day on April 16, or the nearest weekday. The 16th is a Sunday this year, so the holiday is observed on a Monday. Per tax law, legal holidays in the District of Columbia affect the filing deadlines across the nation.

That puts all the states filing on the same day this year; Maine and Massachusetts celebrate Patriots Day on the third Monday of April each year and last year that meant those two filed on April 19 a Tuesday while everyone else filed on that Monday.

Emancipation Day celebrates the anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln signing the Compensated Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862. Patriots Day commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775.

Alan Wooten

Live Wire seeks to answer questions of general interest and consumer topics. Initials are used to identify questioners when names are given. Contact Live Wire at livewire@fayobserver.com or at 486-3516.

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Live Wire: Cost of illegal immigrants depends on source - Fayetteville Observer