Property tax relief bill will not create jobs

The adage, if you say something often enough, people will come to believe it - so it is with Gov. Terry Branstad, and with Iowa's new property tax relief bill.

This property tax version of trickle-down economics just doesn't work. One need only look to the divide between the haves and the have-nots. Reducing taxes on the wealthy and corporations does not result in more and better jobs being created, it results in more wealth in the hands of the already wealthy. The warning by local governments that their resources to provide needed services, upon which we all rely, is just one part of the problem.

Perhaps if all of these tax savings were required to be committed to job creation, or wage enhancements, or a minimum wage hike commitment, things might be different. Wouldn't it have made sense for our leaders to guarantee their speculated, promised results by mandating them as a part of the law, rather than leaving it up to the thoughtfulness of corporations?

Take, for example, the nursing home industry - Nursing homes will no longer be classified as commercial property, they are residential property, with significantly lower taxes. Perhaps the public would like to know whether our legislative leaders have calculated the total tax savings attributable to this magic and just how many jobs will be created. Or, maybe they don't, because leaving these promises to the imagination allows them to continue the charade that trickle down tax breaks works.

Dean Lerner

Des Moines