Cheating Landlords and Immigration

Re “State’s Tax Informants Might Get a Piece of the Infraction,” April 24: Your article failed to mention the underreporting of rental income by many homeowners. Hundreds of thousands of otherwise law-abiding Californians rent out their houses or portions of them, often to immigrants (legal and illegal), and never report the cash rent they collect as income.

As a municipal housing official, I have learned that although many landlords are legitimate business people, many smaller landlords hide cash rental income. It is ironic that a number of these same people who rant that illegal aliens are a drain on taxes are themselves actually tax cheats.

Illegal immigrants wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t an American on the other end committing another illegal act -- such as hiring them or collecting a little tax-free income off them.

Karl Lawson

Camarillo