DES MOINES – Hopes for bipartisan resolution of a nagging property tax relief issue during the 2013 session remained in legislative limbo on Monday. A commercial property tax plan passed by the Iowa Senate and then significantly revised and expanded by the Iowa House last week is now perched on the Senate debate calendar, but [...]

Democrats on an Iowa Senate committee Thursday moved ahead with plans for a $250 million commercial property tax cut over five years targeted at small and Main Street businesses over GOP objections that the approach – while helpful — was too limited. Senate Study Bill 1136, which passed the Senate Ways and Means Committee on [...]

Gov. Terry Branstad called Tuesday for toning down the political rhetoric in an effort to enhance the chances that he and the split-control Legislature can forge a compromise agreement to deliver property tax reform this session after two failed attempts. “This is not Washington, D.C.,” the GOP governor told reporters at a weekly news conference [...]

Representatives of conservation, hunting, wildlife, parks and environmental groups told lawmakers Tuesday Iowa’s natural resources are in such need of upgrading and protecting that the state should boost its sales tax to raise $150 million for that effort. Members of a Senate Natural Resources and Environment subcommittee responded by approving a measure that would increase [...]

Democrats on a Senate subcommittee Monday approved a $250 million property tax relief plan targeting help to small and Main Street businesses over five years and called on Republicans led by Gov. Terry Branstad to use it to help build a compromise to resolve the nagging issue this session. Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, told [...]

Legislative Republicans began a push Monday for constitutional limits on the Legislature’s ability to spend money and raise taxes. House Joint Resolution 2, which was co-sponsored by 53 House Republicans, would write the state’s 99 percent spending limitation law into the Iowa Constitution and also would direct surplus funds exceeding 10 percent to flow into [...]

Iowans would have the option of paying a flat 4.5 percent state rate on their 2013 taxable income or using the current system of deducting expenses and federal taxes they pay under a major policy change that got its first legislative nod of approval Tuesday. Proponents said the alternative would simplify an overly complex state [...]

Business leaders from Iowa’s largest communities expressed optimism Wednesday that the 2013 legislative session will produce meaningful and significant tax relief that will aid business growth and job creation. Iowa Chamber Alliance members said the will again push for reductions in rates for commercial and industrial property and support better equity among all property classes [...]

Gov. Terry Branstad and top legislative leaders pledged bipartisan cooperation Wednesday after voters kept Democrats in control of the Iowa Senate and narrowed the GOP majority in the Iowa House for the next two years. “Iowa voters once again chose divided government, and their message was unmistakable: They want us to work together in moving [...]