Taxes, Spending, & Budgets

ITR Local Property Tax Calculator

ITR Local Property Tax Calculator

March 18, 2026by ITR Local

Soon, you will receive a proposed property tax levy and public hearing notice. It is confusing and doesn’t let you know how much your property tax bill will increase.So, after you receive this notification, use ITR's calculator below to see how your tax bill will change.

Liberty First: Why Freedom Conservatism Beats National Conservatism Every Time

Liberty First: Why Freedom Conservatism Beats National Conservatism Every Time

March 13, 2026by ITR Foundation

Populism reflects real frustration with cultural decline and economic instability — but the solution matters. The key divide is whether populism empowers people or expands government power. National conservatism risks centralizing authority, using executive power, tariffs, and industrial policy in ways that blur constitutional limits and shift decision-making from citizens to politicians. Freedom ...

National Conservatism Preserves What Freedom Alone Cannot

National Conservatism Preserves What Freedom Alone Cannot

March 13, 2026by ITR Foundation

National conservatism argues that conservatism must prioritize the nation’s common good, restoring sovereignty, moral order, and national cohesion after decades of emphasizing individual autonomy above all else. It contends that markets alone cannot preserve communities or national strength, and that prudent policies — including protective tariffs, immigration limits, and restrained foreign policy...

Guardrails for Government: TIF, Budgets, and Regulations in One Week

Guardrails for Government: TIF, Budgets, and Regulations in One Week

February 27, 2026by ITR Live Podcast

Candidate filing season is underway, and the next few weeks will reveal not just who’s running—but who can’t get on the ballot. Chris and John flag what to watch: retirements, surprise re-runs by incumbents, and especially the volume (and seriousness) of primaries against sitting legislators—potentially on both sides of the carbon capture pipeline issue.They then revisit TIF (Tax Increment Finan...

A Prudent Approach to Property Tax Reform

A Prudent Approach to Property Tax Reform

January 27, 2026by ITR Foundation

Governor Kim Reynolds made clear in her Condition of the State address that Iowa’s property tax burden can no longer be ignored. The demand for reform cuts across geography and income. High property taxes affect seniors on fixed incomes, families struggling to make ends meet, small business owners, and young Iowans trying to save for their first home.“Whether you live in a small town, growing...

Enrollment Numbers Offer Insight into Iowa School Funding

Enrollment Numbers Offer Insight into Iowa School Funding

January 7, 2026by ITR Report Card

Student enrollment declined in 2025: Iowa’s K–12 enrollment in public, charter, and private schools fell by about 1 percent in 2025, driven primarily by a 1.5 percent drop—more than 7,000 students—in public school enrollment. Public school trends drive overall enrollment, not private school growth: While private school enrollment increased modestly in 2025, those gains account for only about one-t...

Property Tax Reform Must Include School Spending

December 9, 2025by ITR Foundation

School districts are the single largest driver of Iowa property taxes, yet school spending is rarely included in reform discussions. Other states are limiting school budgets to control local taxes, with New Hampshire and South Dakota currently demonstrating that education can’t be exempt from spending discipline. Iowa can deliver meaningful property tax relief only by applying spending limits to ...

“We Need to Put the Taxpayer In Control”

December 4, 2025by ITR Foundation

Central Iowa taxpayers and legislators voiced overwhelming frustration with high property taxes, citing rising local spending and a lack of transparency. Audience testimony highlighted widespread concern about school spending priorities and commercial property burdens, with many noting that facilities expansion has outpaced academic results and that high property taxes are discouraging business in...