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| Research | |
| Assessing TIF Reform: A Good Start, or a Missed Opportunity for Iowa? | |
The most significant accomplishment HF2460 offers is better accountability and transparency. In terms of changing the actual practice of TIF, however, the bill is a disappointment. | |
| The Real ‘Broken Promise’ in 2012: No Expansion of Iowa EITC | |
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| Early Childhood Boosts Economy, But Iowa Spends More on Biz Breaks | |
| Iowa’s approach to economic development has been badly skewed in favor of expensive subsidies aimed at short-term job gains instead of long-term investments in our economy. Read IFP policy brief by Lily French or download 5-pg PDF 4/19/12 Read IFP news release or download 2-pg PDF 4/19/12 
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| Worth Remembering in ‘Tax Season’ | |
| Every day, Iowans show their support for a healthy and prosperous state as they invest in Iowa through taxes. But Tax Day offers an appropriate time to reflect on a few key points about the taxes we pay. Read IFP backgrounder 1-pg PDF 4/13/12 | |
| Building Budgets: Iowa Keeps Falling Behind | |
| In Education Funding, for Tuition Aid... | |
 The combination of increased tuition and decreased state tuition grants and scholarships threatens to put higher education out of reach for many Iowans. Read policy brief or download 6-page PDF 4/12/12 NEW! Read news release or download 2-page PDF 4/12/12 For Community Colleges... Iowa's community colleges can count less on state support than they did 10 years ago, shifting costs to students and parents also trying to make ends meet. Read policy brief or download 4-page PDF 3/22/12 Read news release 3/22/12 For the Regents Institutions... Likewise, state budget cuts have hammered Iowa's Regents institutions, forcing up tuition and fees. Read policy brief or download 5-page PDF 3/8/12 Read news release 3/8/12 And Also in Water-Quality Funding ... Iowa lawmakers are $5 million behind water-quality funding trends of the last decade, despite greater needs for water protection and public willingness to fund it. Read Iowa Policy Project paper (9-page PDF) 3/1/12 Read news release 3/1/12 In General, Serious Questions About Iowa Priorities Budget-making season is upon us — even though it doesn't seem that long ago that Iowa lawmakers last passed a budget after the marathon 2011 session. Context of Iowa budget trends of recent years might be helpful as decisions are made. Read Andrew Cannon's policy brief (12-page PDF) 2/7/12 Read news release or download 2-page PDF 2/7/12 The test of this legislative session will be how lawmakers fill in the blanks left by the Governor's address. That means reform of tax-increment financing, and improvements to working-family tax policy and preschool in Iowa. Read IFP Statement 1/10/12 | |
| 131 Companies, No Tax Owed, $45 Million in State Checks | |
| Three large corporations received over $31 million in Iowa research subsidies without paying any state income tax, part of nearly $45 million paid by the state in 2011 for unused research tax credits. Read IFP news release 2/10/12 Read IFP backgrounder or download 2-pg PDF 2/21/12 Read Dept of Revenue report (2-page PDF) 2/10/12 "The RAC began as a way to support start-up companies to do research in Iowa, but it has become a costly program that benefits very large companies with little scrutiny." — Charles Bruner, Iowa Fiscal Partnership. | |
| The 2012 Agenda: Assure TIF Reform, EITC Upgrade, Preschool Improvements | |
| The test of this legislative session will be how lawmakers fill in the blanks left by the Governor's address. That means reform of tax-increment financing, and improvements to working-family tax policy and preschool in Iowa. Read IFP Statement 1/10/12 | |
| No More Sticker Shock | |
| One provision of the new health reform law is a side-of-the-box-style summary of what's inside each plan — consumer friendly information to aid comparison-shopping for insurance. Read Issue Snapshot or download 1-page PDF 8/23/11 LATEST! | |
| Governor's EITC Veto Hurts Iowa Families, Economy | |
| A family of four making $30,000 in Iowa would have received a state income tax reduction of about $97 through enactment of the EITC increase, if Governor Branstad had not vetoed the measure. While this is not a lot to some families, it makes a difference for families who are working and trying to raise their children on what is only a little above the poverty level. Read statement 7/28/11 During the 2011 legislative session, lawmakers frequently spoke of the need for an austere budget. Despite such calls, a number of tax reductions were enacted at the same time there were significant reductions in many programs. Read fact sheet 8/4/11 | |
| Drifting Off Target: Targeted Jobs Credit Expanding Without Review | |
| A little-noticed provision of Senate File 533 offers a potentially vast expansion of Iowa state spending on big businesses through the Targeted Jobs Withholding Tax Credit, at the same time the Legislature has acknowledged the original credit itself needs to be reviewed. Read policy brief or download two-page PDF 6/29/11 | |
| Protect the Vulnerable in Deficit Solutions | |
| In a statement for IFP, Charles Bruner notes the partnership fully agrees with a national coalition that to get the United States on a sustainable budget course, “history shows it can and should be done without driving more Americans into poverty or causing undue pain and hardship.” Read statement or download one-page PDF 6/29/11 | |
| Tying Local Governments' Hands | |
| As Iowa House and Senate negotiators discuss plans to roll back the rate at which commercial and industrial property taxes are assessed, they should recognize how a poorly drawn proposal can prevent city and county elected officials from fulfilling their responsibilities to their citizens. That is the challenge with limitations created in legislation that has passed the Iowa House. Read backgrounder or download three-page PDF 6/14/11 | |
| Countdown to a Shutdown? | |
| Even as the Iowa House prepares to pass an “omnibus” bill on the budget and many nonbudgetary policy items, gridlock at the State Capitol has Iowa hurtling on a course toward a government shutdown. What would a shutdown mean? Read backgrounder or download two-page PDF 6/7/11 Read statement 6/17/11 | |
| Seeking a Balanced Approach to the State Budget | |
| House-passed legislation would reduce commercial property tax assessments by 40 percent over five years — an unnecessary cut in our already low-tax state. Changes of this magnitude deserve — and Iowans should demand — far more study than they have received. Read IFP public hearing testimony or download one-page PDF 6/7/11 Read policy brief or download two-page PDF 5/3/11 Read Peter Fisher's guest opinion in the Iowa City Press-Citizen. 5/12/11 We need a balanced approach to budgeting that assures fiscal prudence and adequate revenues to meet our citizens’ needs. This is no time to be cutting taxes. We cannot afford it. Read IFP statement 4/26/11 | |
| Block Grants: Guaranteeing Shortfalls in Service | |
| Under a proposed block grant, no longer would SNAP — formerly Food Stamps — meet needs as they arise in an economic downturn. Read backgrounder or download 2-page PDF 5/25/11 | |
| A Medicaid block grant offers the same promise to cut back services for Iowa’s neediest citizens. Read backgrounder or download 2-page PDF 4/8/11 | |
| Shared Investment: Tax Day Reflects Our Commitment to Iowa's Prosperity | |
| Our tax dollars work for us. They represent a shared commitment to investing in Iowa’s present and future prosperity. This reality is all too often neglected in discussions about “Tax Day.” Read backgrounder or download 2-page PDF. 4/13/11 | |
| Sales-Tax TIF for Cedar Rapids: Poor Solution to Big Need | |
| Tax-increment financing with state sales-tax dollars poses many problems. All exist with the proposed sales-tax TIF for Cedar Rapids — as do better alternatives. Read policy brief or download 4-page PDF 3/30/11 "The flood-control projects in Cedar Rapids can be financed without establishing another dangerous precedent for tax-increment financing that could evolve into a permanent drain on the state general fund ...." — Peter Fisher, Iowa Fiscal Partnership. | |
| Here a Break, There a Break — Everywhere a Tax Break | |
| Tax breaks being promoted in the Iowa General Assembly help the wealthiest individuals and corporations, at the same time lawmakers are calling for unnecessary budget cuts. Read policy brief or download 6-page PDF 3/22/11 Read news release 3/22/11 "Iowa needs the balanced approach to budgeting that has long been missing." — Charles Bruner, Iowa Fiscal Partnership. | |
| Affordable Care Act at 1 | |
| The health reform law passed by Congress and signed by the President a year ago contains measures to help small businesses and their employees get affordable health insurance coverage. See our 1-page issue snapshot (PDF). 3/21/11 NEW! | 
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| The Lowdown on Iowa State and Local Taxes — They're Low | |
| Iowans continue to pay less than the national average for state and local public services, according to the most recent information from the Census of Governments. Read news release or download backgrounder 3-page PDF 3/17/11 "For those who believe taxes are important in business and individual decisions on where to locate, these findings should be an important tool to promote economic development in our state" — Peter Fisher. | |
| New Special Business Tax Break — No Benefit to Iowa | |
| One provision of Senate File 209 provides for “bonus depreciation,” which permits businesses to delay paying a share of current income taxes. In some cases they may avoid those taxes altogether. There is no economic rationale for Iowa to adopt this break, for several reasons. Read IFP backgrounder or download 1-page PDF 3/1/11 NEW! | |
| Issues to Watch in Setting Up Health Benefits Exchanges | |
| Middleman or mouse click? While proposals in the Statehouse would require Iowans to find insurance through a broker, finding it online at their convenience is what the federal health reform law intends. See our 2-page backgrounder (PDF). 3/3/11 NEW! What is an exchange? See our 1-page backgrounder (PDF). 2/17/11 | |
| The Affordable Care Act contains provisions that have the potential to benefit hundreds of thousands of Iowans. Health Benefits Exchanges are the central feature of the act. See our Policy Brief or download 7-page PDF. 12/21/10 | |
| Another Income Tax Cut? We Haven't Recovered from the Last One | |
| House File 194 provides a 20 percent cut in Iowa’s individual income tax rates. The issue is not just that the state of Iowa, recovering from a recession and major cuts to education and other public services, cannot afford such a tax cut and sustain essential public services — though that issue is very real. The problem also is that such a tax cut is very much misdirected, taking Iowa tax policy further down the path of helping the wealthiest the most — a trend building since the mid-1990s. Read IFP policy brief or download 2-page PDF 2/16/11 | |
| Wrong Diagnosis, Wrong Remedy — Iowa Business Taxes Are Already Low | |
| Whether one focuses only on the corporate income tax, or the whole range of taxes falling on business, Iowa’s state and local taxes are well below average, and have been for some time. Read backgrounder or download 2-page PDF 2/9/11 Proponents of business tax breaks claim that taxes are a significant factor in the location choices of businesses, and that a state can tax-cut its way to economic growth and generate tax revenue in the process. Several decades of research on the relation between state taxes and growth confirm that such claims are vastly overblown and sometimes completely misleading. Read report (11-page PDF) 2/9/11 "Business tax breaks turn out to be an expensive and inefficient way to attempt to stimulate a state economy." — Peter Fisher, in "Corporate Taxes and State Economic Growth" | |
| 133 Companies, No Tax Owed, $43 Million in State Checks | |
| At a time when unemployment in Iowa neared 7 percent and Iowans coped with steep cuts in critical state and local services, three corporations received over $30 million in corporate subsidy checks from the Iowa Treasury. They are among 133 corporations that paid no state income tax but still received checks from the state. Read IFP statement or download 1-page PDF 2/11/11 Read IFP backgrounder or download 2-page PDF 2/12/11 Read Dept of Revenue report (2-page PDF) 2/11/11 "When we are asking Iowa government to be efficient and frugal, and to not promote special interests, how can this be justified? It cannot." — Charles Bruner, in IFP Statement: "Research Credit Showers Benefits on Non-Taxpaying Companies" | |
| Reports of a Crisis Have Been Greatly Exaggerated | |
| Iowa’s budget challenges are quite manageable and do not require the cuts to essential services that the Governor has proposed. At the same time, the Governor’s budget shows the budget gaps being suggested in the Iowa House are heavily overstated. Read statement 1/27/11 While 2011-12 will be a tight budget year and Iowa still has to work to eliminate its long-term structural budget deficit, additional cuts to essential public services are not needed to balance the 2011-12 budget. Iowa still needs a balanced approach that includes attention to its revenue drain. Read backgrounder or download 2-page PDF 1/18/11 Read public hearing testimony from Peter Fisher or download 2-page PDF 1/18/11 Read public hearing testimony from Victor Elias or download 2-page PDF 1/18/11 | |
| Tax Credits that Help Iowa Families and Economy: CTC and EITC | |
| Since their creation, two tax credits, the EITC and the CTC, have been improved to reach more working families. Most recently, the 2009 Recovery Act improved both credits. If these improvements expire at the end of the year, fewer dollars would pass through to the lowest-earning workers and there would be greater need for public assistance for their families. See our Backgrounder or download 2-page PDF. 11/22/10 | |
| Food Challenges for 1 in 9 Iowa Households | |
| How could it be in the nation's breadbasket? The USDA finds 11.5 percent of Iowa households are food insecure. See our News release or download 2-page PDF. 11/16/10 | |
| Getting Public Value Out of Iowa's Public Dollars | |
| Iowans value their schools, their parks, law enforcement, and water, sewer and transportation infrastructure. They see the benefit of supporting economic security for farmers and working families. Yet, recent years have brought unprecedented threats to the publicly supported foundations of Iowa's economy and culture, through misleading rhetoric and lost resources. What do the facts show? Iowans might be surprised. Read policy brief or download 6-page PDF 10/6/10 | |
| A Milestone in Health Coverage — Thursday, Sept. 23 | |
| Thursday, Sept. 23, marked a milestone day for health reform in Iowa and the rest of the nation. Much of the new health reform law takes effect in 2014, but some provisions have taken effect that will help thousands of Iowans. Read policy brief or download 4-page PDF 9/22/10 Read news release. | |
| 1 in 9 Iowans in Poverty; Income Declines | |
| The recession hit home for Iowans in 2009, as incomes dropped, poverty rose, and health coverage remained a persistent problem. Depending on the survey, from 1 in 9 to 1 in 11 Iowans face a shortage of health coverage. Read news release 9/28/10 Separate Census survey 2-page PDF 9/16/10 | |
| Covering Children Better | |
| Increasing numbers of children and their families in every county in Iowa are benefiting from new public health insurance initiatives.
Read backgrounder or download 2-page PDF 7/27/10 Read news release. View map. | |
| Right Balance for Small Business | |
| Over 50,000 Iowa small businesses and their employees could get or keep health insurance now with opportunities in the new health reform law.
Read policy brief or download 3-page PDF 7/22/10 News release 2-page PDF | |
| Security for Economy, and for Most Vulnerable | |
Without an extension of unemployment benefits for long-term unemployed, Iowans could see a delayed economic recovery, while workers long unemployed through no fault of their own need help.
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| Smart Steps in Recovery — Improving the Child Tax Credit | |
By maintaining the Child Tax Credit eligibility rules modified in the Recovery Act, Congress could help thousands of working Iowans support their families and make ends meet. | |
| Weatherizing Iowa to a Green Recovery | |
| At the same time the federal economic recovery package
is boosting income and the number of jobs for Iowa workers, it is improving energy-savings
opportunities for Iowa families who cannot otherwise afford them. Policy Brief PDF (7 pages) 5/20/10 News Release HTML PDF (2 pages) | |
| More About Recovery Act: Food, Jobless Aid Boost Iowa Economy | |
Assuring children's health coverage is an area where Iowa has shown leadership. Will budget choices uphold that legacy? | |
Federal recovery dollars for Iowa’s unemployment insurance system, food assistance and Medicaid have boosted Iowa economic activity in both jobs and income, with continuing benefits into 2010. | |
| Spending Our Tax-Credit Dollars Wisely | |
| Proposed tax-credit reform legislation in the Iowa Legislature falls well short of its stated goals for better accountability and savings for Iowa taxpayers. Backgrounder PDF (3 pages) Statement HTML 3/23/10 News Release PDF (2 pages) 3/17/10 | |
| Iowa policy choices could encourage a stronger economy, and address the long-term need to assure critical public services are strong when they are most needed. Backgrounder HTML PDF (3 pages) 3/17/10 | |
| We need to be smarter about economic development spending. When we are cutting state services, we should not leave tax credits and subsidies for economic development running on autopilot. Film credit: statement from IFP's Peter Fisher PDF (1 page) 3/10/10 | |
| Bad Idea Comes Back: Sales Tax TIFs Are Giveaways Without a Return | |
A costly idea — letting cities give away state sales tax dollars to developers — is back. The winners are few: owners of prime property that would be developed anyway. The losers: Iowa taxpayers. | |
| Soon, Some Transparency — Later, More Coming Under Current Law | |
While some interests are trying to stop Iowa's moves toward transparency in tax credits, a new peek into taxpayer subsidies illustrates the problems of accountability. The numbers are artificially low, however, because of a one-year loophole in the new law. | |
| Better Understanding Tax Credits and 'Return on Investment' | |
Can government assistance be a determining factor in business decisions in ways that provide an overall benefit to the state? Key considerations for use of tax credits and tax expenditures. | |
How much do various business subsidies actually return a benefit to Iowa taxpayers? What to consider — and what not — to evaluate "rate of return." | |
| 'Important Step' Toward Reform: Governor Says to Stop Secret Checks | |
Governor Culver's Condition of the State message backs proposals by his Tax Credit Review Panel to put Iowa on a track to accountable and transparent budgeting. | 
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| Iowa Voters Want ‘Everything on Table’ in Budget Response | |
Iowa voters by wide margins want a balanced approach to resolving Iowa’s budget crisis, with nearly six in 10 favoring some use of taxes and fees in the mix. Voters also heavily favor personal income-tax reform and more disclosure about business tax credits. | |
| Who Pays Iowa Taxes? New Report Shows Fairness Problems | |
Moderate- and low-income Iowans pay more of their income in state and local taxes than the rich do, according to a new report that prompted fresh calls for Iowa income-tax reform. | |
| Just What Doctor Ordered: Medicaid Recovery Funds Helping Iowans | |
Increased Medicaid spending has an economic benefit for the state of Iowa far greater than the federal government’s initial investment — about $1.68 for each dollar invested. | |
| Services Matter — So Do Revenues in Budget, Economic Recovery | |
The Governor is right in these difficult economic times to attempt to protect public services and avoid unnecessary layoffs that will only steepen our climb out of the recession. | |
| $415 Million Hole — We Can't Cut Our Way Out | |
Iowa’s revenue problem does require immediate action, but that action must be strategic.
Everything needs to be on the table as the Governor and General Assembly address the state's short- and long-term budget challenges. | |
| Iowa's Film Tax Credit — Issues Behind the Glitz | |
| Seduction: A Fiscal Disaster Story | |
Fiscal policy issues raised by the controversy with Iowa's film credit program should be of as much concern as the very serious management issues that have brought on a state investigation. All issues surrounding the credit should be addressed before lawmakers decide whether to reinstate any form of a film development incentive. | |
| Don't Lose Focus with Film-Credit Probe: Expand Scrutiny | |
We just don’t know enough about what state tax money is being used for — a problem with more than the film credit. Iowa must not miss the overarching issues raised by the film-credit issues. | |
| Statement: IFP Supports Suspension, Investigation of Film-Credit Program | |
A critical problem with Iowa's film tax credit boondoggle is a lack of transparency. Further, this is coming at a time when our state leaders are anticipating budget cuts. | |
| Income Stagnant, Health Insurance Lacking for Iowans | |
| Over 1 in 11 Iowans Go Without Insurance | |
Iowa's health-insurance shortage is worse in the latter part of this decade than it was at the start, and median income growth is too small to note — and this is before we see the numbers for 2009. | |
| Updated Revenue Estimate, Fresh Look at Sources, Needed for Budget | |
Deteriorating revenues demand a fresh review of Iowa’s fiscal situation so policy makers can make budget decisions with the best information available. | |
| Realities About Tax Reform Proposals in 2009 | |
| Lost in the political discussion about tax reform during the 2009 session of the Iowa General Assembly was a factual examination of who would be affected by various proposals, how tax rates would change in exchange for ending federal deductibility, and the long-term implications of the choices. IFP reports sort out the important facts for Iowans. View reports (April 2009) | |
| Why Iowa Should Eliminate Sales-Tax TIFs | |
| A three-page backgrounder makes the case: The sales tax TIF law that passed in the last days of the 2008 legislative session should be repealed. What were lawmakers thinking? Backgrounder (3-page PDF) (3/30/09) | |
| Graphic Perspective on Iowa's Budget Situation | |
| A two-page fact sheet uses graphs to show Iowa state spending has been in line with general economic performance in the state, but that spending in one area — tax credits — has grown much faster than general fund spending. Backgrounder (2-page PDF) (1/23/09) | |
| Flood Response and Iowa Children | |
| How do natural disasters, like the 2008 Iowa floods, affect children? What policies and actions can government take to mitigate these impacts? Backgrounder (PDF) (1/25/09) | |
| Local Income Surtaxes Raise Revenue, Offer Tax Choices | |
| Understanding local income surtaxes, in practice and potential for Iowa communities. Backgrounder (5-page PDF) (1/22/09) News release (PDF) (1/26/09) | |
| Unaccountable Tax Breaks — Iowa's Growth Industry | |
| Watch a Des Moines Register interview with one of IFP's experts on Iowa budget and tax policy, Peter Fisher of the Iowa Policy Project, for good perspectives on Iowa's current fiscal crisis and how to deal with it. View the video. (1/22/09) | |
| 'Everything's on the Table' | |
| Governor Culver's Condition of the State message asked lawmakers to assure "everything's on the table" to balance the state budget and find savings — while upholding the promise of investments in a green economy, education and health care. Cutting wasteful spending through the tax code in secret subsidies to big companies is one thing to review. News release (PDF). (1/13/09) | |
| HOW DID WE GET TO THIS SITUATION IN 2009? A BUDGET CRISIS PRIMER: Iowa's budget situation has changed markedly since last July; what has brought Iowa to the questions we face now? Backgrounder (7-page PDF). (1/16/09) | |
| Seeing the Whole Field: Perspective for '09 Choices | |
| Iowa policy makers should address the state's budget crunch with choices that do not worsen the recession but do assure scrutiny on seldom-reviewed spending on tax breaks. Open letter (PDF). (1/02/09) | |
| Holes Revealed in Iowa's Revenue Structure | |
| Newly revised state revenue estimates are pointing not just to the national recession hitting Iowa, but to holes in Iowa's revenue structure. News release (PDF). (12/12/08) | |
| Responding to the Economic Crisis: Accountability First | |
| Iowa lawmakers are almost certain to face immediate and severe budget challenges when they reconvene in January. Closing loopholes and stopping wasteful spending on tax breaks for big corporations offer an opportunity to shore up revenues to maintain critical services. Briefing paper (3-pg PDF). News release (PDF). (12/10/08) | |
| Iowa's Aging Population: A Growing State Budget Challenge | |
| Health-care and education investments are at risk for Iowa as the state's population becomes proportionately older. Full report (28-pg PDF). Executive summary (HTML or 4-pg PDF). News release (PDF). (12/01/08) | |
| Who Pays Iowa Taxes? | |
| Lower-Income Iowans Pay the Most as Share of Income | |
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Iowa's state and local tax system favors the highest-income families in the state — a fairness problem compounded by the net effect of two decades of policy changes. News release, backgrounder. |
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| Persistent Problem: Uninsurance Hits 1 in 10 Iowans | |
| The number of uninsured Iowans grew by one-third in seven years, while Iowans' median income showed slight improvement in 2007 and poverty remained high. News release. (8/26/08) | |
| Iowa System Distorts Assessment of Farm Property | |
| Farm buildings and farmland need to be assessed and taxed separately as a first step toward a more understandable, fair and modern system of assessing Iowa farm property. Full report, four-page executive summary, news release. (7/17/08) | |
| Congress Usurping Local Power on Property Tax? | |
| A proposal in Congress for a property tax credit would deny help to Iowans facing the most difficult financial challenges from floods, tornadoes and mortgage foreclosures. IFP Perspective one-pager.(6/24/08) See the Des Moines Register editorial. (7/3/08) | |
| EZ Money: Enterprise Zones Now 'Monster' Program | |
| Iowa spent about $300 million in enterprise zone (EZ) subsidies from 2003-07 in a “monster” program needing a major overhaul. Report, executive summary and news release. (4/21/08) See the Des Moines Register and Radio Iowa stories. | |
| Iowans Pay for Corporations' Secret Checks; Biggest Firms Benefit | |
Household-name companies have been getting big checks at the expense of Iowa households. Report, news release and graphs. (4/16/08)
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| Ability to Pay: Tax Fairness Issues for Iowa | |
| Statewide School Infrastructure Sales Tax — Fairness Issues for Iowa | |
| Switching the School Infrastructure Local Option (SILO) sales tax to a statewide penny sales tax holds mixed implications for low-income Iowans and tax equity. Report and backgrounder. (4/4/08) | |
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| Access to child-care is an issue of "making work pay," just like the minimum wage and low-income tax credits — and updating Food Stamp benefits can reflect that. Read the backgrounder. | |
| 3/31/2008 | |
| Putting Fairness First | |
| • Questions for Financing Public Services in Iowa | |
| • Improving Fairness by Expanding Iowa's Earned Income Tax Credit | |
| 3/6/2008 | |
| A Capital (Gains) Offense | |
| Unnoticed But Lasting Change Undermines Iowa Tax Code | |
| 2/27/2008 | |
| Iowa's Tax-Credit Bonanza | |
| Open Ends and Closed Books: How Iowa is Giving Away the Farm | |
| 2/4/2008 | |
| Spotlight on Secret Checks | |
| Taxing Mystery: Big Benefits from Research Activities Credit, But for Whom? | |
| 10/25/2007 | |
| Iowa Taxes in Real Life | |
| New Report Notes Undocumented Immigrants Pay Iowa Taxes | |
| Undocumented immigrant families pay less in state taxes than families at similar incomes in Iowa, but they contribute over $40 million to state coffers and they receive fewer services. A new report finds that discussions focusing only on costs of undocumented immigrants can miss a big piece of the fiscal equation: the taxes immigrants pay, often without services coming to them. Read the full report or the four-page executive summary or the news release. (Oct. 25, 2007) | |
| 4/24/2007 | |
| Tracking Tax Giveaways | |
| Earthpark Plan Raises Significant Policy Questions | |
| 4/11/2007 | |
| Leveling the Playing Field | |
| How to Restore Fairness to Iowa's Corporate Income Tax by Closing Loopholes | |
| 3/27/2007 | |
| Taxing the Poor in Iowa | |
| Report Shows Need for Low-Income Tax Reform | |
| 3/14/2007 | |
| How the EITC Hits Home | |
| Where Iowans Claim the Earned Income Tax Credit | |
| 3/13/2007 | |
| Next Piece of the Puzzle | |
| After Minimum Wage, Iowa Looks at Earned Income Tax Credit | |
| 2/22/2007 | |
| Falling Below Average | |
| Why Iowa Taxes are Competitive | |
| 2/15/2007 | |
| Looking Before We Leap | |
| A Review of the Commercial Property Tax Task Force Recommendations | |
| 12/19/2006 | |
| Looking Behind the Curtain | |
| Unveiling the Problem of Tax Expenditures in Iowa | |
| 11/28/2006 | |
| Restoring Fairness and Revenue | |
| Reform Measures for Iowa's Corporate Income Tax | |
| 11/27/2006 | |
| Prescriptions and Placebos | |
| Fixing Health Care in Iowa | |
| 11/14/2006 | |
| No Longer a Leader? | |
| Investments and Student Achievement in Iowa | |
| 9/7/2006 | |
| Health Care in Iowa: A Continuing Problem of Access | |
| 4/11/2006 | |
| Revitalizing Iowa's Corporate Income Tax | |
| 3/17/2006 | |
| How Should Government Tax Incentive Stock Options? (pdf) | |
| 2/22/2006 | |
| Untaxing Seniors: A 'Solution' in Search of a Problem | |
| 1/24/2006 | |
| Securing Iowa’s Economic Future | |
| 1/9/2005 | |
| Older Iowans, Economic Security, and State Fiscal Policy (pdf) | |
| 10/19/2005 | |
| IowaCare: Need for Caution | |
| 6/6/2005 | |
| Hunger in the Heartland | |
| A Portrait of Food Need in Northeast Iowa | |
| 5/19/2005 | |
| Combating Hunger | |
| The Whos, Whys, and Hows of Food Assistance | |
| 4/19/2005 | |
| Iowa's Personal Income Tax | |
| Reform for Iowans at Any Age | |
| 2/1/2005 | |
| Our Vanishing Budgets | |
| Iowa's Response to the Fiscal Crisis in the State | |
| 1/13/2005 | |
| A Chronic Budget Crisis | |
| Can Iowa Keep Its Promises? | |
| 12/15/2004 | |
| Iowa's State Fiscal Crisis and Its Impact on Local Governments | |
| Cities and Counties Face Tough Choices and Diminished State Support | |
| 12/10/2004 | |
| Iowa's State Fiscal Crisis and Its Impact on Human Services | |
| New Holes in the Safety Net | |
| 11/22/2004 | |
| Iowa's State Fiscal Crisis and Its Impact on Education | |
| Erosion of Support at All Levels | |
| 9/29/2004 | |
| The State Fiscal Crisis, 2001-2004: Comparing Iowa's Responses to Others | |
| 9/27/2004 | |
| Average by Any Measure: State and Local Taxes in Iowa | |
| 7/26/2004 | |
| Whose Bonus? No Rationale for Adopting Federal Depreciation Options | |
| 7/9/2004 | |
| Iowa Taxes on Social Security Benefits: The Facts | |
| 6/18/2004 | |
| Rethinking Iowa's Personal Income Tax — Principle-Based Reform | |
| 4/1/2004 | |
| Property Tax Assessment in Iowa | |
| 3/8/2004 | |
| Iowa Voters and Taxes: Strong Public Support for Maintaining Services | |
| 2/4/2004 | |
| Everything You Wanted to Know about Closing Tax Loopholes... | |
| But Were Afraid to Ask | |
| 10/21/2003 | |
| What Would Real Tax Reform Look Like in Iowa? | |
| 4/29/2003 | |
| The Merits of a Cigarette Tax, with Alternative Tax Offsets | |
| 4/21/2003 | |
| How to Balance the Budget by Cutting Tax Preferences | |
| 4/9/2003 | |
| Tax Increment Financing in Iowa: What Should Be Done? | |
| 1/22/2002 | |
| Tax Policy & Economic Growth in Iowa: Who Gained in the 1990s? | |
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