Research Archives for 2020

It is past time to provide all Iowans with COVID-19 data, plans A new policy brief by Iowa Policy Project research director Peter Fisher examines the arbitrary and backward-facing approach of the metrics that the administration of Governor Kim Reynolds Read more

Research Activities Credit cost leaps in 2019 to record $78 million Non-taxpaying companies receive record $53 million in ‘refund’ checks IOWA CITY, Iowa (March 12, 2020) — Iowa businesses large and small made record use of the state’s generous research tax Read more

Governor’s tax plan: Breaking trust with the Trust Fund Plan offers much less than expected — and extras that voters did not seek IOWA CITY, Iowa (Feb. 14, 2020) — Iowa voters should be getting more than Governor Kim Reynolds Read more

Iowans served by Medicaid face enough challenges in our state without a new level of uncertainty added by the Trump administration.

In 30 years, the share of public higher-education financed by tuition has doubled in Iowa. Meanwhile, total state support for higher education fell 22 percent.

Iowa stacks taxes against middle, low-income Iowans Study: New state tax law reinforces long-term trend of regressive taxes Iowa summary sheet (PDF) IOWA CITY, Iowa (Oct. 17, 2018) — Iowa taxes its middle- and low-income families more as a share Read more

Governor Kim Reynolds’ tax proposal trades massive cuts in public services for small savings for lower-income taxpayers, larger savings for high-income taxpayers and few meaningful strides toward fairness in a system that already treats the poor poorly and raises too little revenue to avoid mid-year cuts.

Neither fairness nor adequate funding of state services appear to be the focus of either bill, but let's give serious analysis a chance.

Iowa’s lucrative research subsidy cost Iowa taxpayers $66.1 million in 2017, with very large companies once again the biggest beneficiaries and taking at least $38 million in checks from the state without paying any state income tax.

IFP Statement — IPP's Peter Fisher: Eliminating federal deductibility and adding sales tax for online sales are good starts, but many reasons to question Governor Reynolds’ plan.