By Walt Rogers As a former state legislator my top priority was and still is education. Perhaps one of the most memorable and heartfelt moments occurred when I chaired an Iowa House subcommittee hearing on a bill proposing Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). An emotional mother testified that her “public school does not offer my child what he needs, and […]
The issue of rapidly escalating property tax burdens is a concern for both individuals and businesses across Iowa. It is important to remember the ultimate source of high property taxes is excessive local government spending. Unless spending is controlled, any property tax relief will be limited. The objective of real property tax reform should not be to single out […]
Iowa’s unemployment rate declined to 6 percent in August. The unemployment rate in July was 6.6 percent and a year ago the rate stood at 2.8 percent. The national unemployment rate fell to 8.4 percent in August. The decline in Iowa’s unemployment rate is good news, considering the COVID-19 pandemic continues to place pressure on the economy, the state suffered […]
“Hold on to the Constitution of the United States of America and the republic for which it stands. What has happened once in six thousand years may never happen again. Hold on to your Constitution, for if the American Constitution shall fail there will be anarchy throughout the world.” -Daniel Webster “It is good to meet and drink […]
Foreword This summer COVID-19 continues to be an albatross on the economy. Although Iowa’s economy is open, social distancing policies remain. Iowa’s unemployment rate fell from 10 percent in May to 8 percent in June. Even with Iowa’s unemployment rate falling, fear of the virus is preventing people from resuming regular consumer activities. In addition, many small businesses are […]
These are just a few of the testimonials from Iowa students and parents who have benefitted from the opportunities provided by Iowa’s school choice policies. Too often the policy discussion over education centers around spending and for good reason. Public education consumes a majority of the state budget and is one of the driving costs of property tax bills. […]
Iowa relies heavily on income tax to fund state government. It is estimated, in Fiscal Year 2021, 57.3 percent of state revenues will be generated from income (individual and corporate) taxes, while 33.1 percent will originate from sales taxes. (Source: Legislative Services Agency) Since 1993, individual and corporate income taxes have a combined average of 64 percent […]
Recently TEF Iowa polled Iowans to get their view on some key public policy issues. In this guide you will find not only how Iowans think about these issues, but also public policy solutions that align with the interest of Iowans. TEF Iowa has developed this guide as a resource to provide legislative candidates additional information on some of the […]
As a new school year begins amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many Iowa parents are juggling working from home and facilitating their children’s online education. Schools across Iowa are offering a hybrid of in-class and online instruction. Many parents in Iowa have selected to have their children start school online for the fall semester as a result of the virus. A […]
Iowans are demanding property tax relief. High property taxes continue to be a problem for Iowa. The Tax Foundation recently examined the “effective tax rates on owner-occupied housing” across the United States. Iowa ranked 12th highest in the nation. Iowa relies heavily on property tax to fund local government. In 1934, Iowa enacted the sales and income tax to provide property tax relief. […]