“As I’ve declared every time I’ve been at this podium, the condition of our state is strong,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said the Condition of the State Address on Tuesday night. This is the last legislative session in which Reynolds, who announced in April she was not running for reelection, will have the power to sign […]
taxes
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Debates over property taxes, eminent domain and cancer rates expected during 2026 legislative session
Iowa lawmakers are heading into the 2026 legislative session with several new leaders — but many of the issues expected to take top priority are subjects left unresolved in 2025, namely eminent domain and property taxes. Lawmakers presented legislation on both of these issues during the 2025 legislative session, but neither became state law. Republican […]
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Proposed constitutional amendment would require supermajority to raise income tax
A Senate subcommittee moved forward with the second step in amending the state constitution Wednesday to require a two-thirds majority vote of the Legislature for income tax increases. SSB 1221 is a follow-up from HJR 2006, passed in 2024 with the same language. To amend the Iowa Constitution, lawmakers must pass the amendment language in […]
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Property tax legislation expected in the 2025 session, legislative leaders say
Iowans should expect to see further property tax law changes brought up in the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers said Tuesday at the Greater Des Moines Partnership legislative leadership breakfast. Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner, House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst and Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, answered questions and talked about their […]
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Iowa lawmakers debate until 2 a.m. in race to finish 2024 legislative session
Iowa lawmakers debated budget bills into the early morning Friday as they aim for the end of session in the coming days. Though legislators spent much of their days in party caucus meetings Thursday, members of both the House and Senate moved through dozens of bills during debate, in addition to meetings of the chambers’ […]
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Senate committee advances ‘sin tax’ for consumable hemp products
As lawmakers consider restrictions on hemp-derived THC and CBD products, the Senate Ways and Means Committee passed a measure Wednesday that would add a sin tax to consumable hemp products. SSB 3186 would set a 25 percent excise tax on the sales price of consumable hemp products, with the tax revenue going to the state’s […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Iowa church wages four-year fight with IRS over hallucinogenic drug ceremonies
An Iowa-based church that allegedly charges members up to $800 to use a hallucinogenic drug in religious ceremonies is continuing to pursue a four-year battle to win tax-exempt status. Last year, the Iowaska Church of Healing sued the IRS in U.S. District Court, challenging the federal agency’s decision to deny the church status as a […]
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Best of the CRANDIC Spotlight: Carrie Houchins-Witt can do your taxes and perform Sondheim in the same day
Best of the CRANDIC 2021 winner: Best Financial Planner/Tax Service Carrie Houchins-Witt is a CRANDIC staple both behind and away from the calculator. Over a decade ago, she began putting her passion and skill for numbers into use preparing tax returns for the actors she performed with, learning quickly just how invaluable that service was. […]
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State income tax deadline pushed back to June, most 2020 unemployment benefits will be exempt from taxes
Iowans now have until June 1 to file their state personal income taxes returns. Iowa Department of Revenue (DOR) Director Kraig Paulsen signed an order extending the state tax deadline on Monday. That extension applies only to individual income tax returns, not business filings. It also does not delay the due date for any estimated […]
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‘Incredibly reckless’: Iowa State Senate tax bill would slash revenue by more than $1 billion
The tax bill that will be voted on by the Iowa State Senate this week would cut state revenues by almost $1.2 billion a year when fully implemented, according to an analysis by the Legislative Services Agency released on Tuesday.
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Grassley clarifies his comment about average Americans spending ‘every darn penny’ on ‘booze or women or movies’
Sen. Chuck Grassley issued a statement on Monday intended to clarify his recent defense of repealing the estate tax as a way of rewarding people who don’t spend “every darn penny they have” on “booze or women or movies.” Grassley’s defense of the estate tax caused a firestorm on social media over the weekend, with people accusing the senator of being out of touch with reality.
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UI grad students rally against a Republican tax bill that might make college unaffordable
A rally on the University of Iowa Pentacrest protesting the federal tax bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives attracted a crowd of about 60 on Wednesday. The crowd was mostly graduate students, which wasn’t surprising, since the change would drastically increase the amount of taxes grad students pay.
