Gov. Reynolds' tax trophy
A Letter From Iowan Gordie Felger
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Editor’s Note: Last month, Iowa Gov Kim Reynolds received an award for people who “have resulted in a positive impact on the business tax climate in Iowa” by the Iowa Taxpayers Association. She has said her focus for 2025 will be to cut property taxes. The Iowa legislative session starts Monday.
Dear Gov. Reynolds,
Congratulations on your Iowa Taxpayers Association award! Wow! What an honor (for you)!
Lowering taxes to encourage people to live in Iowa is admirable. If your supporters can have lower taxes, even more over-the-top anti-human-rights laws, and way warmer winters, why not move to Florida? I get it. You need to do something to keep people from fleeing the state.
Part of your plan to “simplify” Iowa’s tax code is to implement a flat income tax rate starting in 2025. Simplification is also an admirable goal. But did you know that a flat tax rate is regressive? It places the heaviest burden on low-income earners. Everyone pays the same percentage regardless of income. But people who earn more can more easily bear the financial burden.
Hey, I’m no tax expert. But my public education taught me that flat taxes are regressive. Didn’t you learn this lesson, too, Gov. Reynolds? Or do you just not care that your tax policies benefit the wealthy at the expense of the poor?
No one LIKES paying taxes. But taxes are the price we pay for living in society. Our taxes pay for public (and now private) education, parks, roads, bridges, police and fire services, and much more. We should think of paying taxes as our duty to the common good rather than as a penalty.
So, yes, Gov. Reynolds, your tax policies make you a hero to the rich. Claps! But what will you do to help ALL Iowans become rich?
Gordie Felger
Hiawatha, Iowa
This was originally posted at Felger’s website, wtfiowa.substack.com.
Letters From Iowans is a part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. We encourage you, our subscribers, to share your perspective in this column. To make your voice heard, use this form to send us your essay:
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Actually, I do like paying taxes. It makes me feel patriotic. My husband and I were vacationing someplace where some of the roads were terrible, rocky and pot-holed. Others were smooth and taken care of. This was because the neighborhood roads were privatized. Everyone benefits from good roads, libraries, police protection, public education . . . Some call it socialism. Most call it civilized society.
Amen.
We need several thousand more people saying the same thing.