Inside the Iowa House – Fair Taxes, Strong Public Schools

by Jennifer Konfrst

Fair Taxes, Strong Public Schools

Iowa Democrats rolled out plans this week for strong public schools and fair taxes.

Our common sense plans will put more money in the pockets of hard working Iowans and make sure every kid gets a quality education.

The education plan will invest another $300 million in k-12 public schools next year. It will reduce class sizes, raise pay for teachers, and put new books in the classroom.

It will also give schools the tools they need to keep good teachers in the classroom. With a new survey out that over half of teachers plan to leave the profession and some GOP lawmakers at the State Capitol claiming teachers are the enemy, a strong show of support for public schools is essential from Iowa legislators this year.

While the Governor and Republican lawmakers have proposed their own plans, it’s less than half what we proposed and won’t even cover the rising costs schools face next year.

After we rolled out our plan, the Governor also responded to our plan with another push for her $300 million tax giveaway for corporations. Worse yet, her tax plan only benefits the biggest corporations and none of that money will make it to our small businesses.

Here’s the bottom line: if we’ve got $300 million, we believe it ought to be invested in public schools, not corporations.

The fair tax plan we developed in conjunction with our Democratic colleagues in the Iowa Senate will reward work and put more money in the pockets of working families.

To put more money in the pockets of working Iowans, our plan will lower income tax rates for the middle class and expand the child and dependent care tax credit. For example, an Iowa family with an income around $40,000 would pay a lower income tax rate and get another $600 each year to help cover the high cost of child care.

Our plan rewards hard work by doubling the tax credit for Iowans already in the workforce but don’t make enough to pay all their bills. For example, a single mom with three kids and working two jobs would have another $500/month to pay for groceries, child care, or rent.

These tax ideas will make our system more fair and pump more money into our economy.

While you’ve probably heard about proposals offered by Republicans as well, our plans are very different. The plans we’ve seen from the Governor and Republicans so far include huge new tax giveaways to corporations, millionaires, and the special interests. Their plans simply aren’t fair to hard working Iowans nor will it fix the workforce shortage we’re facing today.

As the session continues, we hope the Governor and GOP lawmakers will embrace our common sense plans to invest in public schools and put more money in the pockets of everyday Iowans.

It’s the best way to address Iowa’s workforce shortage in the short run and the long run.