Opinion submitted by Progress Iowa, an left-leaning political group:
Iowans deserve a fair tax system that invests in working families. But the plans being offered by Governor Reynolds and the Republican-led legislature aren’t fair at all. At a press conference held Wednesday, speakers shared just how these tax plans will negatively impact Iowans.
“[The Republican] proposal will drown rural schools,” said Iowa Senator Joe Bolkcom. “It will drown our health care providers, it will drown our nursing homes, our rural hospitals, our state parks, all the things that Iowans expect from state government, and it will be devastating to rural Main Streets.”
The tax plans from the Republican-led House and Senate will provide massive tax breaks for corporations and the ultra wealthy, while actually raising taxes on the lowest income earners in Iowa. Meanwhile, Governor Reynolds is doubling down on the policies that created her workforce crisis, by proposing a plan that gives big businesses tax breaks, while taking money away from our public schools, public safety, and health care services.
“It doesn’t matter what you care about your critical issue, especially if you’re an advocate for public policy on some of these things. You are going to see your priority hit severely under any of these plans,” said Mike Owen, Deputy Director of Common Good Iowa.
While the Governor’s proposed 4% flat tax may sound fair, it’s anything but. We need a plan that strengthens everyone’s pocketbooks, not just the wealthy few.
“This proposed flat income tax by Governor Reynolds and the Republicans will only intensify the already unfair and unequal tax system that exists in Iowa. Equal does not mean equitable,” said Sue Dinsdale, Executive Director of the Iowa Citizen Action Network.
We need a new direction to solve the Reynolds workforce crisis and to make Iowa a place where folks want to live, work, and raise a family.
“Iowans are hardworking. We care deeply about our communities and about the work that we do,” said Matt Sinovic, Executive Director of Progress Iowa. “It’s really unfortunate and troubling that Governor Reynolds and the Republican-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate have put forward these proposals that would just completely undermine our ability to be good neighbors and invest in one another.”
You can find a recording of the press conference here.
4 thoughts on “Opinion: Iowans discuss why flat tax isn’t fair”
she is giving corp’s a big tax break in hopes they will donate the extra money to re-election campaign.
The truth is, 9.8% is our tax rate, we are tied for third highest in the nation.
Having such a high tax rate on corporations makes it hard to attract them, and harder to keep them, till recently Missouri had 6.25% and now dropped theirs to 4%(tax years starting on or after 1/1/2020). This attracts MORE businesses. The REAL problem, is there is nothing here, we don’t have all the amenities that more urban states have. This sis something that newly graduated people look for.
wow stupidity reign here…a % of the flat tax is then dispersed into these different sectors, all flat tax is is the collections formula.
A flat tax on all sold items is very fair.