Capitol Notebook: Iowa Taxpayers Association honors Gov. Kim Reynolds

ALTOONA — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds was honored Thursday by the Iowa Taxpayers Association, an advocacy group for conservative tax policy.

Reynolds was honored with the organization’s Linda S. Weindruch Award, which the group says “recognizes outstanding accomplishments and contributions in promoting and protecting the principles and policies of fair business taxation.”

The Iowa Taxpayers Association honored Reynolds “for her leadership, which resulted in historic tax cuts for the citizens and employers of Iowa, improving the overall tax climate in Iowa.”

Since Reynolds became governor in 2017, with all-Republican control of the Iowa Legislature, the state’s income tax structure has been reduced from nine brackets with a top rate of 8.9 percent to a single 3.8 percent rate for most state taxpayers.

Iowa’s corporate income tax rate also has been simplified and lowered, and Reynolds and legislators have attempted to also address property taxes — rates set at the local level.

“Fundamentally, the story of Iowa’s transformation was less about implementing clever policies and was more about unleashing the energy and creativity in Iowans and in our communities,” Reynolds said Thursday while accepting the honor at the Iowa Taxpayer Association’s annual symposium.

“It was truly the triumph of simplicity over complexity, growth over spending, and bottom-up energy over top-down management.”

Federal grant to help close ‘digital divide’

Iowa will receive an $8.4 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, via the 2021 federal infrastructure bill, to implement the state’s Digital Equity Plan.

The plans are designed to help “empower individuals and communities with the tools and skills necessary to benefit from meaningful access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet service,” according to a news release from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

With the $8.4 million grant, Iowa will work with public libraries to expand a Wi-Fi hot spot checkout program, develop a virtual cybersecurity training program, and fund a program that helps incarcerated individuals access educational opportunities, including digital skills and cybersecurity training.

“Quality, affordable high-speed internet allows families and businesses to thrive in our modern economy. Thanks to President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law, the Department of Commerce is connecting everyone across the country to quality, affordable high-speed internet and providing the resources they need to make the most of that internet connection,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in the news release.

“We look forward to working with the awardees to ensure all residents have the tools and skills to take advantage of quality, affordable high-speed internet — whether it’s for work, education, health care or any other essential service.”

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