Iowa Fiscal Partnership

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In 60 of Iowa's 100 House districts, more than 15 percent of tax filers claim the federal EITC. They would be helped by a boost in the state EITC.

See our 4-page policy brief by Charles Bruner & Andrew Cannon.

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. Read our Iowa Fiscal Partnership backgrounder or download 2-page PDF 5/17/12 LATEST! Why slapdash changes carrying a "reform" label are not enough. Read our Iowa Fiscal Partnership backgrounder or download 2-page PDF 3/29/12 Abuse of tax-increment financing by cities is a statewide problem. Read IFP Summary of TIF situation in Iowa Polk County and Johnson County provide case studies of the need for reform. Read Polk County report (8-page PDF) 3/15/12 Read news release or 2-page PDF Read Johnson County report (15-page PDF) or executive summary (2-page PDF) 11/21/11 Also see report appendix (maps) or news release 11/21/11 View Johnson County forum on TIF reform, or view slides from Peter Fisher's presentation 1/4/12 “TIF has been allowed to degenerate to the point that many cities view a TIF area as a perpetual cash cow to finance a wide range of city operations that have nothing to do with economic development.” — IFP's Peter Fisher
The Real ‘Broken Promise’ in 2012: No Expansion of Iowa EITC
While Governor Branstad worried at the end of the legislative session about stopping a ban on lead shot, the real missed target of 2012 was lawmakers' failure to secure an improvement in the Earned Income Tax Credit. Over 200,000 Iowa families will pay for it. Read IFP statement 5/14/12 Read IFP policy brief (4-pg PDF) with district-by-district impacts of U.S. EITC, Iowa EITC and proposed improvement 3/29/12 Also see IFP backgrounder (2-pg PDF) with map at right and district impacts 4/2/12 Find other recent IFP reports on the EITC here.
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
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.