Pro-growth tax reform is on the move in several states. This year 14 states have enacted tax reforms, which would have been unheard of just a year ago. The good news about tax reform doesn’t end with 2021, though. It appears that many states, including Iowa, are poised to keep reducing the tax burden on their citizens. Voters in Louisiana […]
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) is a leading conservative who is fighting for the America First agenda. Recently, Senator Hawley introduced the “Make in America to sell in America Act,” in an effort to address the supply chain crisis and the troubling dependency upon foreign countries for necessities. Americans are being confronted with increasing prices due to inflation and a clogged […]
Governor Kim Reynolds and the legislature will have an opportunity to enact significant tax reform in 2022. Iowa’s fiscal house is in strong condition with a $1.24 billion surplus and the recent Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) projections show strong revenue growth for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023. This is a historic opportunity to lower Iowa’s high income tax rates and […]
Keeping your economy open, conservative spending, and lowering tax rates. This is the economic formula that is building a solid fiscal foundation for Iowa. It is also the formula that 53.7 percent of Iowans support. A majority of Iowans, 59 percent, also support continued tax relief. This is the direct opposite of the tax and spend “shifting sand” agenda that […]
Iowans are known for being plain-spoken and clear-thinking. Perhaps that’s why President Biden’s approval rating in Iowa has recently sunk to a dismal 31 percent. Afghanistan and COVID notwithstanding, another of the Biden Administration’s promises that seems to have failed the believability test is his insistence middle-class Iowans won’t be hurt in the pocketbook by his $3.5 trillion budget blueprint. […]
President Joe Biden and the tax and spend Democrats could learn a lesson from Governor Kim Reynolds. Iowa will end Fiscal Year 2021 with a $1.24 billion surplus. Last year, Iowa’s surplus was $305 million. Since assuming office Governor Reynolds has pursed a policy of prudent budgeting and pro-growth tax reform that has kept Iowa’s fiscal house in strong and […]
The Des Moines Register released a new poll that shows a 53 percent job approval rating for Governor Kim Reynolds. This is up from 51 percent from the last poll. Governor Reynolds approval rating is even higher, 57 percent, when asked how she has handled Iowa’s economy. The poll affirms that Iowa supports the conservative pro-growth policy agenda that Governor […]
This past Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pratt issued a temporary restraining order stopping the enforcement of the mask mandate ban that the Iowa Legislature passed, and Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law. This ruling sent Iowa parents into a quandary, wondering what to do next, finding their children are again being used in a cruel game of tug of […]
“Today’s legislation ushers in a new era of growth and opportunity in Iowa,” said Governor Kim Reynolds when signing the 2021 tax reform bill passed by the legislature. “But we are not done yet. Next year, I’ll be proposing additional income tax cuts as we continue to make Iowa the most attractive place in America to open a business, raise […]
Are you frustrated with high property taxes? Too often Iowans are told by local government officials that nothing can be done to lower property taxes. Governments, at all levels, often forget that the money they spend is generated from your tax dollars. It is not the governments money, yet policymakers have no shortage of reasons why they need to spend […]
“It is good to meet and drink at the fountains of wisdom inherited from the Founding Fathers of the republic,” noted President Warren G. Harding. Perhaps now more than ever the nation needs to follow Harding’s advice. Instead of tearing down statues of the Founding Fathers we should be learning from their wisdom. Alexander Hamilton is one of the Founders […]
The national debt is rapidly nearing $29 trillion, which is 25% more than our entire economy, and is orders of magnitude higher if you consider unfunded liabilities of Social Security and Medicare. This threatens life as we know it and must be addressed now. Since the start of 2020, the debt has increased by $5.2 trillion. And President Joe Biden […]
Property taxpayers in Iowa keep growing frustrated and they are tired of the blame game that is played by local governments to avoid answering why tax relief is next to impossible. Property taxes fund local governments and often blame is shifted from one tax authority to another to justify why tax bills are high. In addition, local governments also respond […]
It is often forgotten, but America’s conservative tradition was not based on free trade, but rather economic nationalism. The American System became the basis of conservative economic policy. This economic philosophy was developed by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists, continued by the Whigs under the leadership of Henry Clay, and was eventually adopted by the Republican […]
Increasing access to quality health care in Iowa is a priority. Sadly, rural hospitals suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic as many could not offer out-patient procedures, which resulted in a major financial loss and forced some patients to go without care. Many rural hospitals also closed maternity wards and more mental health care providers are needed. To increase access to […]
Time has passed Iowa’s tax credit system by, and the time has come for a change. Over the course of decades, a succession of governors and legislatures have built a giant structure of special tax credits, abatements and other forms of targeted tax breaks that turn a system intended to raise revenue to fund public services into a mechanism for […]
Image: Official White House Photos by Shealah Craighead and D. Myles Culle Iowa is a beacon of liberty against an onslaught of poor federal policies. President Biden has already proposed $6 trillion in new spending during his first 100 days in office. Iowa is awash with federal stimulus dollars. Iowa is frequently overlooked, but Governor Kim Reynolds is an example […]
“From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first. America first. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families.” President Donald J. Trump, Inaugural Address, January 20, 2017 “Are the Republicans Switching Places […]
This year Iowa’s top corporate tax rate decreased from 12 percent, the highest in the nation, to 9.8 percent. Even at 9.8 percent, Iowa’s corporate tax rate is high. Many states have or are in the process of gradually lowering their corporate income tax rates. Nebraska recently passed legislation to reduce their corporate tax from 7.81 percent to 6.84 percent. […]
Photo by Keystone/Getty Images Andrew Mellon, who was considered the best Secretary of the Treasury since Alexander Hamilton, served in the presidential administrations of Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover. Prior to his service as Secretary of the Treasury, Mellon was a successful financier and businessman. Mellon understood sound fiscal policy and he helped to advance policies […]
Photo: @IAGovernor In a recent editorial The Des Moines Register criticized Governor Kim Reynolds’ vision for education in Iowa. During the legislative session, Governor Reynolds made students a priority and she led the nation in requiring Iowa schools to offer the option of 100 percent in-person learning. By advancing more parental choice in education, Governor Reynolds is placing families first. […]
What is at stake in the debate over the Electoral College is not only how we elect the president, but the future of the Constitution and whether we will adhere to the principles of the American Founding.
Governor Kim Reynolds and the Republican-led legislature continued to follow fiscal conservatism. The legislature passed an $8.1 billion FY 2022 state budget. This budget is $290.7 million more than the FY 2021 budget. The $8.1 billion budget is over $4 million more than what Governor Reynolds originally proposed. Nevertheless, even as spending has slightly increased from the previous fiscal year, […]
A recent editorial by the Des Moines Register asks whether the push for “smaller” government in Iowa has achieved a point where it is “too small to work.” The editorial argues that those who believe in a “smaller, more efficient” government fail to address how limited government can solve some of the policy problems confronting Iowa. In other words, the […]
Following a path of fiscal conservatism is never easy. Numerous interests are calling for either new or an expansion of existing taxpayer funding for programs. Policymakers are confronted with difficult decisions in crafting a budget and providing for the priorities of government, but at the same time trying to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. The pressure for policymakers to […]