Harris’s “opportunity economy,” with its price controls, tax increases, and expanded government spending, is likely to exacerbate inflation and lead to economic disaster. The adage, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” is applicable to the tax and economic policies Vice President Kamala Harris has outlined for her presidential campaign. Harris’s proposals, roo...
Whether they are farmers, factory workers, or small business owners, grassroots Iowans understand that Trump is not only standing up to China but also trying to rebalance trade and prioritize American interests. John Deere, founded in 1837, is an iconic American brand, particularly in Iowa, where its machinery is ubiquitous in fields, yards, and construction sites. The brand’s leaping deer [&helli...
Had the 24 cities and counties examined in this report followed a 2 percent cap over the last decade, Iowans in those communities alone would have $160 million more in their wallets to satisfy their desires, including investing in the future, saving for a rainy day, and attaining their American Dream. OVERVIEW The Problem: Unchecked Property Tax Growth Lessons from […]
This article was published in Townhall. Under the leadership of Governor Walz and a Democrat-Farmer-Labor (DFL) legislature, Minnesota is being transformed into a California-style socialist state. The nation is learning more about the progressive and even socialist record of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Governor Walz’s progressive-socialist record is not a surprise for Iowans. Under the lead...
This article was published in The Gazette. Restoring manufacturing and preventing further outsourcing will require a combination of policies including protective tariffs, pro-growth tax reforms, reducing the regulatory burden, and ending the radical environmental agenda that is preventing energy independence and mining. The Republican Party is becoming a more pro-worker party, which is a direct re...
24 school districts caused Unspeakable Pain according to ITR’s scale (+20%) Any Iowans looking at their property tax bills can see that they keep going up year after year, but how much exactly? And how much property tax pain are you and your family about to experience from the spending decisions your locally elected officials are making? ITR Foundation has […]
Of the 275 cities evaluated, nearly 90% chose to increase the property tax pain on their residents. Any Iowans looking at their property tax bills can see that they keep going up year after year, but how much exactly? And how much property tax pain are you and your family about to experience from the spending decisions your locally elected […]
91 counties increased their property tax revenue on a per capita basis since last year. Any Iowan looking at their property tax bills can see that they keep going up year after year, but how much exactly? And how much property tax pain are you and your family about to experience from the spending decisions your locally elected officials are […]
It is imperative that civic education be strengthened and restored back to the curriculum. A new academic year is approaching and across the nation our education system at all levels is plagued by a crisis in civic education. Students, whether K-12 or higher education, are increasingly ignorant when it comes to even the basic knowledge of American History, Government, and […]
Iowans have long despised property taxes, and they aren’t going to develop any warm and fuzzy feelings about them any time soon. Local governments are collectively cranking up their property tax collections by more than six percent as cities (+6.6%), counties (+7.6%), and school districts (+5.4%).
We must defend American institutions and the Constitution against these so-called reforms and tell President Biden, Hands off the Supreme Court. President Joe Biden recently proposed a series of reforms to the United States Supreme Court. The President and Democrats are furious over not only recent decisions rendered, but also by the conservative direction the Court has taken. As a […]
It is our responsibility to make a serious and informed decision while voting and to realize that our vote does count and that voting as well as not voting brings consequences. In 1924, the nation elected President Calvin Coolidge in a landslide. Coolidge had assumed the presidency when President Warren G. Harding had suddenly died in office. Americans were supportive […]
The issue is not what the money is being spent on, but how the board decided to pay for the project. The Waterloo Community School District’s Board of Education wants to modify its buildings to better facilitate student learning. We expect school board members to make such decisions, but a problem arises with how board members agreed to pay for […]
Regulations, just as with high tax rates, deter economic growth and create roadblocks for an individual’s right to earn a living or for an entrepreneur to start a business. Governments have the instinct of a vegetable, according to President Herbert Hoover. Iowa’s own Oval Office resident explained that “they keep spreading and growing.” This is an accurate description, especially as [&helli...
The benefits of a flat tax go beyond tax relief and economic growth. It makes the tax code simpler, more transparent, and more neutral, reducing both the burden of citizenship and the affliction of social division. On January 1, 2025, Iowa will transition to a 3.8 percent single-rate flat tax. Not only will this historic change provide tax relief for […]
While the local income surtax is meant to reduce property taxes, experience shows this swap has led only to higher overall tax burdens. The State of Iowa has done a great job lowering our income tax rates, but did you know local governments in Iowa also impose income taxes on their residents? The local income surtax is added to individual […]
This article was featured in the Des Moines Register. Individuals and small businesses should not foot the bill for the federal government’s reckless spending. At the center of America’s heartland, Iowans are becoming more concerned with inflation and the growing economic uncertainty. “Bidenomics” is not working, and, to make matters worse, Iowans, as well as taxpayers across the nation, are [&hel...