Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation recently partnered with our friends at the Dickinson County Taxpayers Association for a discussion of Amendment One, the proposed constitutional amendment that will appear on Iowa’s November ballot. The group invited us to explain what the amendment would, and would not, do and to address some of the arguments surrounding it. The conversation also provided an oppor...
Amendment One is built on a simple principle: Every Iowan’s income deserves the same protection from future tax increases. The amendment, which will appear on Iowa’s November 3 ballot, would require a two-thirds vote in both the Iowa House and Senate to increase an individual or corporate income-tax rate or create a new tax measured by individual or corporate income.
A new Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation (ITRF) poll of likely general election voters in Iowa reveals consistent support for fending off tax hikes, and a political environment that is pointing toward close races up and down the ballot. The survey, conducted from June 16-19, 2026 , found that support for an amendment to Iowa’s constitution requiring a two-thirds supermajority of the state legislatur...
This November, Iowans will be asked to vote on a simple constitutional amendment that would make it more difficult for the legislature to increase income taxes. Specifically, the amendment would require a two-thirds majority vote of both houses of the legislature to increase income tax rates. Such an amendment would provide Iowa taxpayers permanent protection, while giving politicians an allowance...
Currently, 16 states have a supermajority requirement that establishes a higher threshold for the legislature to increase certain tax rates. In November, voters in our state will decide whether a supermajority requirement should be applied to the Iowa Legislature, too. Amendment 1 would require a two-thirds vote of each chamber of the legislature to increase income tax rates or create a new income...
Uncontrolled government spending and the unfunded obligation of entitlement programs are driving the $40 trillion debt crisis. However, those fiscal challenges don’t tell the whole story. John C. Eastman, a Senior Fellow at The Claremont Institute and Director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, argues that “…there is another cause of our fiscal predicament that almost no one in Wash...
Efficient. Effective. Accountable. Transparent. These are all goals local elected officials and staff routinely cite when crafting a budget. Achieving them, however, requires more than balancing revenues and expenditures. It also requires evaluating whether taxpayer resources are directed toward government's highest priorities and producing meaningful results.
Amendment 1 was the focus of Chris Hagenow’s recap of his Iowa Public Radio debate, where he thoroughly rebutted opposition claims of service cuts, police and fire defunding, and budget paralysis. Hagenow and John Hendrickson also surveyed the Iowa governor and Senate races ahead of Labor Day, shared national praise for Iowa’s conservative reforms, and closed on the national debt crossing $40 tril...
Government exists to serve taxpayers—not the other way around. Amendment 1 is a commonsense safeguard that makes it much harder for future lawmakers to raise state income taxes, helping ensure higher taxes remain a last resort rather than government's first response. Amendment 1 requires a two-thirds vote of the Iowa Legislature before state taxes can be increased. It doesn't eliminate the ability...