ITR's 2019 Year In Review - Iowans for Tax Relief

Iowa Taxpayers,

At our founding over 40 years ago, ITR recognized Iowa was full of special interests and there was a constant battle between the taxpayer and politicians who wanted to spend tax dollars.

Since then, we have believed for Iowans to have economic freedom, state government should be limited. The best way to achieve this is through people taking action and not more lawmaking. In other words, the answers reside on Main Street, and not within the state Capitol.

This year ITR drove policy conversations, expanded our network, and experienced legislative success. We sat down with other organizations and statewide leaders to identify problems Iowans faced and the policy solutions to solve those problems.

Governor Kim Reynolds spoke at our Tax Day Luncheon in March we sat with 19 legislators answering questions from members at six legislative roundtable meetings ITR hosted across Iowa.

The November 2020 election will be critical in determining Iowa’s trajectory. ITR is building momentum to be effective no matter the outcome of those elections.

Chris Ingstad
President

There is a constant battle between the taxpayer and bureaucrats who want to spend tax dollars. Iowa is a state full of special interests. Iowans need limited government and economic freedom and this is going to be achieved through people taking action and not more lawmaking. In other words, the answers come from Main Street, and not within the state Capitol.

ITR’s big picture goal is advancing free market principles in our state. This is so important because the other side is relentless and they want to own our futures. With Illinois on our East Coast, we get a front row seat to see where our state could be headed.

At a taxpayer roundtable last year an ITR member who owns and operates a dozen businesses across eastern Iowa with his daughter perfectly summed up why we do this. He said if the legislature could get tax relief passed, he and his daughter weren’t going to pocket extra cash, they’d turn right around and reinvest it in their business, and that means more jobs and higher wages.

ITR gives the taxpayer solutions AND a voice, so they can remind legislators that they were elected to serve the people back home and not necessarily the groups at the Capitol asking for more of your tax dollars.

Elected officials respond to the people who elect them coming up to them in their home communities and telling them how they should be voting.

Out of all the lobbying groups, ITR is one of the few who takes it right to places such as Council Bluffs, Clear Lake, and Cedar Rapids. We aren’t just in the Capitol, our members are in every district and when legislators go back home, we want them to hear from us.

It’s hard to get citizens to take action but it is important bring government right to the voter instead of just being another lobbyist working the meeting rooms of the Capitol.