By Sarah Curry, DBA Everyone loves a good farmers’ market on a hot summer afternoon, and Iowa has a long history with these classic representatives of direct retail. The first one in the state began in 1858 at the Dubuque city hall building, where it still operates today. This summer, however, Iowa is home to only 172 farmers’ markets across […]
The Impact of the National Recession on Iowa Well, we were right. Headlines this morning declared America’s economy shrank for the second quarter in a row and yesterday’s news cycle confirmed the Fed was delivering another large interest rate hike. Politicians, policy makers, and members of the media are scrambling to redefine the term “recession” for the American public but voters...
In March 2021, the United States was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to previous large-scale stimulus measures, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) on a party-line vote. Relief for state and local governments was among the most thoroughly debated provisions of the legislation, ultimately sending $130.2 billion to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments....
Politicians, policy makers, and members of the media are scrambling to redefine the term “recession” for the American public. Sometimes these explanations are counter to the traditional economic classification of a recession which is two consecutive quarters of negative growth, as measured by the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). For anyone keeping track at home, though, the economy declined...
The record high inflation that is plaguing Americans is being fueled by out-of-control federal spending. The federal government has spent over $6 trillion on COVID-19 related pandemic stimulus measures. The most recent, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was not even needed as most states are experiencing large surpluses. The national debt is over $30 trillion and rising, which translates to an estim...
This week’s episode of ITR Live included a discussion of the city of Des Moines’s decision to participate in a pilot program that aims to provide guaranteed income to low-income residents of central Iowa. While this calls to mind Andrew Yang’s universal basic income proposal from 2020’s Democratic presidential primaries, one significant difference appears to be that this program is being driven b...
The most recent Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation Poll, conducted by Cygnal, shows Governor Kim Reynolds remains popular, President Joe Biden is growing more unpopular, and Iowans strongly support an amendment to the Iowa Constitution that recognizes the right to bear arms. Additionally, a majority of Iowans support the federal government reducing taxes and spending to combat record-high inflatio...
One topic that comes up frequently when we sit down with taxpayers across Iowa is the number of people our state government employs. Iowans intuitively understand that there are very real and significant costs shouldered by the state for each member of its workforce. For instance, the Legislative Services Agency reports in their most recent Factbook that Iowa spent over $1.5 billion in total com...
The Latest Assault on Our Constitution and the States Once again it appears that policymakers in Washington, D.C. are trying to further centralize power and squeeze the sovereignty of the states. The United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has a bill before them that would set a dangerous precedent regarding tax policy if enacted. It’s called the STAMP Act which stands […...
Earlier this year, Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Legislature passed the largest tax relief measure in the state’s history. The historic tax reform will replace the progressive income tax with a flat 3.90 percent rate by 2026. Iowa’s corporate tax rate will also gradually phase down until it reaches a flat 5.50 percent. Starting next year, the reform will repeal all state taxes on retirement i...
Once again it appears that policymakers in Washington, D.C. are trying to further centralize power and squeeze the sovereignty of the states. Federalism, which refers to the division of power between the federal government and the states, is a pillar of American constitutionalism. The United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has a bill before them that would set a dangerous prec...
July 1 marks a very important date in the world of state government – the beginning of a new fiscal year. While the state has technically closed the books on fiscal year 2022, the accounting of funds is far from over and final numbers won’t be available until October. But no matter how 2022 is evaluated, Iowa is in a strong position moving forward.