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 Budget
February 3, 2022

Time for Greater Accountability in Education

Parents across Iowa are demanding greater accountability from public schools. The COVID-19 pandemic, along with current social and political movements, has raised significant concerns from parents about what is happening in K-12 classrooms across the state. Parents want greater visibility into what their children are learning and what types of books and other resources are utilized in school. Whether it is radical 1619 Project curriculum or controversial books that use vulgar words and portray explicit and pornographic content, curriculum concerns are driving this demand for more transparency and accountability. Requiring public schools to be fully transparent about classroom curriculum, available books and other resources within schools is a commonsense and much-needed reform.

John Hendrickson and Heather Curry Editorial
January 31, 2022

Putting the Taxpayer First

From a taxpayer perspective, the 2022 legislative session is off to a good start. Governor Kim Reynolds, in her Condition of the State address, outlined a pro-growth tax reform plan that calls for a flat 4 percent income tax by 2026. House Republicans have also introduced a tax reform plan that calls for a flat 4 percent tax rate by […]

ITR Foundation Editorial
January 27, 2022

ESAs Still Needed in Iowa

This week is National School Choice week, which brings awareness to the importance of empowering parents to choose the best educational path for their children.  To most parents, it is obvious that they should be in control of their child’s education.  The problem is, in the collective mind of the education establishment, that is not so obvious. Remote learning caused […]

Walt Rogers Editorial
January 25, 2022

Governor Reynolds’ Tax Reform Ideas are Pro-Growth

By John Hendrickson, Policy Director for ITR Foundation, and Jonathan Williams, Executive Vice President for policy and Chief Economist at the American Legislative Exchange Council.   Governor Kim Reynolds and free-market legislators are working to make Iowa a pro-growth leader. Tax reform is a priority for 2022  –  and rightly so.  Even after successful tax reforms in recent years, more […]

John Hendrickson and Jonathan Williams Editorial
January 14, 2022

Governor Reynolds Proposes 4% Flat Income Tax

Governor Kim Reynolds, in her Condition of the State address this week, delivered a Reagan-esque take on the finer points of governing.  “Under these ceilings, next to this marble, among these columns and portraits, it’s tempting to believe that nothing good happens unless we legislate it, regulate it, or fund it.  But in the small towns, around kitchen tables, in […]

John Hendrickson Economy
January 5, 2022

Honesty Leads to Lower Property Taxes

By John Hendrickson, Policy Director for ITR Foundation, and Dave Trabert, Chief Executive Officer of the Kansas Policy Institute   Iowans are growing more frustrated with high property taxes. A majority of Iowans, 63.4 percent, believe that property taxes are too high. The concern over property taxes surpasses the rural-urban divide and political party identification. Taxpayers are often left wondering […]

John Hendrickson and Dave Trabert Editorial
December 17, 2021

Iowa’s Forgotten Tax: The State’s High Regulatory Burden

By John Hendrickson, Policy Director for ITR Foundation, and James Broughel, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University   Governor Kim Reynolds and the Republican-led legislature have enacted prudent budgets and lowered tax rates in recent years. Iowa’s economy is in a better position because of these sound fiscal policies. But eliminating burdensome regulations that hinder […]

John Hendrickson and James Broughel Editorial
November 16, 2021

Tax Reform Is on the Move

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 […]

John Hendrickson Editorial
October 29, 2021

America’s Supply Chain Crisis

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 […]

John Hendrickson Economy
October 29, 2021

The Path to Repealing Iowa’s Income Tax

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 […]

John Hendrickson Editorial
October 27, 2021

Stage Set for Bold Tax Relief in 2022

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 […]

John Hendrickson Editorial
September 30, 2021

Democrats’ Tax and Spend Agenda Threatens Iowa Taxpayers and Economy

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. […]

John Hendrickson Economy
September 21, 2021

Time to End the Tug-of-War in Education

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 […]

Walt Rogers Editorial
September 14, 2021

What’s Next for Tax Reform in Iowa

“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 […]

John Hendrickson Editorial
September 9, 2021

Making Better Use of Your Taxes

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 […]

John Hendrickson Editorial
August 26, 2021

The Wisdom of Alexander Hamilton

“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 […]

John Hendrickson Editorial
August 9, 2021

Time to Solve Iowa’s Property Tax Problem

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 […]

John Hendrickson Editorial
August 3, 2021

America’s Forgotten Economist

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 […]

John Hendrickson Economy

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