September 25, 2025

A Champion for Taxpayers, from Iowa to the International Stage: Remembering David Stanley

He referred to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as the “infernal revenue agency,” and he argued that citizens across the nation were being “taxed to death.” He told his audiences “the government is unable to control its appetite.” only in government is slowing the growth of spending viewed as a cut. “A cut to them doesn’t mean the same thing that it does to you. In government, it means that you ask for a large increase and you got a somewhat smaller one.”

John Hendrickson and Pete Sepp Taxes, Spending, & Budget
September 25, 2025

A Champion for Taxpayers, from Iowa to the International Stage: Remembering David Stanley

In his speeches, Stanley spoke not only with authority and a thorough understanding of fiscal policy, but also with humor and flair. He referred to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as the “infernal revenue agency,” and he argued that citizens across the nation were being “taxed to death.” He told his audiences “the government is unable to control its appetite.” Only in government is slowing the growth of spending viewed as a cut. “A cut to them doesn’t mean the same thing that it does to you. In government, it means that you ask for a large increase and you got a somewhat smaller one.”

John Hendrickson and Pete Sepp Editorials
July 18, 2025

Iowans Just Avoided a Huge Tax Increase, But New Warning Flags Lie Ahead

With the passage of the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” Iowans avoided a catastrophic tax increase. But even with many positives in the measure, there are still reasons to keep a sharp eye on what lies ahead. Washington’s spending—and the national debt—will continue to grow in the near term, but that trajectory cannot continue indefinitely.  Iowa policymakers must begin to prepare for contingencies to protect the state’s hard-won fiscal responsibility.

John Hendrickson and Pete Sepp Taxes, Spending, & Budget
October 17, 2024

Iowa Poised to Revolutionize Property Tax Reform Among States

This article was published in the Telegraph Herald and The Gazette. Paring back unnecessary local expenditures and then capping property tax growth at 2% would save taxpayers $250 million a year. Governing magazine crowned Gov. Kim Reynolds among 2024’s leading public officials, lauding conservative reforms that slashed Iowa’s punishing 9% income tax to a lean 3.8% flat rate by 2025. […]

John Hendrickson and Pete Sepp Taxes, Spending, & Budget
July 18, 2023

Federalism Can Help Tame the National Debt

This article was published in National Review. On the current path, it seems inevitable that the federal government won’t live up to its obligations to the states. State policy-makers need to find ways to push back against Washington, D.C. The late constitutional scholar James McClellan described federalism as a principle that the American Founders had woven “into the constitutional fabric” of […]

John Hendrickson and Pete Sepp Taxes, Spending, & Budget
August 3, 2022

Make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Permanent

No one knows the future direction of the American economy, but several danger signs are ahead. One is continued inflation at 40-year highs or worse — a cruel hidden tax that eats away wages and savings, with more suffering for families struggling to afford groceries and gasoline. Another is a recession triggered by high interest rates designed to fight inflation. This means job losses, lower incomes, smaller nest eggs as stock markets contract, and even tougher times for businesses reeling from supply-chain shortages.

John Hendrickson and Pete Sepp Taxes, Spending, & Budget
February 15, 2022

Strong Fiscal Rules Lead to Better Tax Policy

This year is shaping up to be a big one for tax relief. From Mississippi to Kansas to Virginia to Iowa, elected officials are taking many paths to make taxes less burdensome, but they should all bear one thing in mind: without spending discipline, sound tax policy is impossible to maintain over the long term. Government officials at both the state and federal levels have been trying for years to tax and spend their way to fiscal success. This is no way to build a stable fiscal house. Luckily, some states this year are exploring the kinds of strong budgetary rules that create the conditions for prosperity.

John Hendrickson and Pete Sepp Editorials
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Let’s be honest, big government is big bureaucracy, and common sense tells us big bureaucracy is ineffective. That’s why ITR Foundation works to:

  • Research principled solutions
  • Educate Iowans about our solutions
  • Activate Iowans in support of our solutions

By applying the principles of limited government, free enterprise, and the rule of law to public policy, we can ensure all Iowans will have the opportunity to succeed.

ITR Foundation set the policy groundwork for many recent taxpayer victories in Iowa:

  • Increased property tax transparency and spending restraint
  • A 3.8% flat individual income tax rate
  • Elimination of income taxes on retirement income
  • Elimination of inheritance tax
  • Creating a path to reduce corporate income tax to 5.5%
  • Phasing-out special tax incentives in the corporate tax code
  • Banning local universal basic income programs