Title: Is immigration good or bad for the economy? - Full Fact
Headings: Is immigration good or bad for th
e economy?

Is immigration good or bad for th e economy?
Effect of immigration on the public purse is relatively small
Immigration's impact on the wider economy
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Public services
Welfare
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Content: Effect of immigration on the public purse is relatively small
The impact of immigration on the public finances is relatively small according to most studies, costing or contributing less than 1% of UK GDP. Immigrants from the European Economic Area and recent immigrants are more likely to have a positive impact (or less likely to have a negative impact). No overall figure necessarily represents the experiences of any individual or local area: for example immigration's public service impacts vary by region. There is no correct number for the impact and a lot depends on assumptions, but "at best" the impact is small but positive. The two studies cited by the Home Secretary confirm this: The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee said in 2008 (its most recent report): " the fiscal impact is small compared to GDP and cannot be used to justify large-scale immigration." An OECD study last year showed a positive impact on the public purse in the UK, and overall a "broadly neutral impact" on the public purse in developed countries. These are not the only studies nor are they the most recent on this subject.