A Little Property Tax History

“In 1934, Iowa enacted the first sales and income taxes to provide property tax relief. Today, nearly a century later, Iowa taxpayers still face the challenge of high property taxes.

Between 2000 and 2017, Iowa property taxes increased by more than 100 percent, according to research from Iowans for Tax Relief. This increase is more than inflation and population (56 percent), Social Security cost of living adjustments (46 percent), and the growth of the state general fund (60 percent). The American Legislative Exchange Council’s “Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index” exposes Iowa’s property tax burden as the 16th highest in the nation. Concern about the reality of these escalating property tax bills supersedes the urban-rural divide and impacts all Iowans.

The best method to provide long-term property tax relief is to stop the overspending at the local level through a property tax cap and establish a strong truth in taxation measure.”

Excerpt from The Gazette and Quad-City Times, February 17th and 21st respectively. Article written by Jonathan Williams and John Hendrickson
Posted on www.alec.org February 22, 2019

It doesn’t matter who asks the question, the answer is the same: property taxes are too high.

A recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows this opinion is shared by most demographic groups as well as Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. This confirms a statewide public opinion survey ITR conducted in January.

Legislators in both chambers have indicated property tax reform is a priority this year. The Iowa House Republicans recently released their property tax reform bill that creates a city and county budget limit.