Gov. Terry Branstad is confident that property tax reform will pass during this session of the Iowa Legislature. As for education reform, Branstad is more hopeful than certain. Read More

As of late last week, five additional commercial and industrial companies have filed petitions witht the Buena Vista County Assessor's Office, challenging property tax valuation assessments of 2013. Read More

One of the biggest differences between Statehouse Republicans and Democrats over property tax reform boils down to this: How big to go? Read More

The Iowa Senate agreed Thursday to send a property tax relief issue to a House-Senate conference committee, marking the farthest point it has progressed in the split-control Legislature and raising hope a compromise could be forged this session. Read More

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled last week that the state can legally tax the personal property of traditional telephone companies but not force wireless providers to pay the same taxes. Read More

And is holding his own once again against the Mason City School Board looking to be granted a new tax levy. Read More

No public programs observed the two-year anniversary of a tornado that damaged or destroyed 142 business and residential dwellings in Mapleton. Read More

Unlike floating casinos, Iowa gaming venues on land are subject to property taxes. Like other commercial properties, the onshore casinos pay taxes on their land and buildings, but not their machinery and equipment, such as slot machines. Read More

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. Read More

Sales and use tax breaks cost Iowa nearly $3.9 billion in 2010, up 62 percent from 2005, according to estimates included in a new report from the Iowa Department of Revenue. Read More

 Gov. Terry Branstad's plan to cut commercial property taxes in Iowa has won committee approval in the Republican-controlled House, but the bill faces an uncertain future as the Democratic-majority Senate favors an alternate proposal. Read More

Iowa lawmakers advanced competing income tax reduction plans over the past week in the Republican-majority House and Democratic-controlled Senate, and a compromise deal was not yet clear. Read More

Iowa lawmakers advanced competing income tax reduction plans over the past week in the Republican-majority House and Democratic-controlled Senate and a compromise deal was not yet clear. Read More

In the second installment in a series of studies conducted by the Iowa-based Strategic Economics Group, Sioux City and Woodbury County taxpayers would lose millions in new revenues if either the Hard Rock or Warrior casino projects were chosen.  Read More

With funnel week past, the focus will now shift to property tax reform at the state legislature. Senator Amy Sinclair says she has concerns with what Senate Democrats have proposed. She says it’s similar to what they proposed last year. It acts more as a tax credit than a rollback, she notes, and doesn’t give enough incentives to large manufacturers as it only credits around the first $300,000 worth of property value. Read More

A plan from Iowa Senate Democrats to reduce commercial property taxes is moving forward, though Republican lawmakers and Gov. Terry Branstad have questioned the proposal.

The annual debate about commercial property taxes in Iowa is under way, and once again the discussion ignores the larger picture — that overall business taxes in Iowa are below average among states — and fails to consider reforms that should be addressed first. Read More

An Iowa Senate panel advanced a $250 million property tax cut for businesses Monday with a stern warning by Democrats that they won’t permit Republican Gov. Terry Branstad to cram his tax plan “down our throats.” Read More