Letters to the Editor: Say ‘No’ to Iowa Constitutional Amendment 1

By Fred Maharry, West Des Moines   

I am a retired school superintendent who is deeply concerned about Amendment One. On election day, Iowans will be asked to change our state constitution so that it’s much harder for our state to increase corporate or personal income taxes. This may sound great. But instead of a simple majority vote, a two-thirds supermajority would be required to raise income taxes. Seventeen senators (out of fifty) or thirty-four house members (out of one hundred) would have veto power, allowing a small minority to dictate how we address our state’s financial challenges. This will make it difficult for Iowans to create a fair tax system where corporations and the rich pay their fair share.  

I have three more reasons why Amendment One is wrong for Iowa now and in the future. First, it’s a gift to large corporations and wealthy Iowans. They already receive numerous breaks and should contribute their fair share.  If they don’t, it will be difficult for the state to take in enough money to pay our bills. Smaller income tax revenues have contributed to our current deficit spending and there is concern we may run out of funds in the next two years.

The second reason is that the amendment will hurt our communities. After years of tax cuts favoring the wealthy, Iowa is now running deficits of over $1 billion. Amendment One will make it difficult to fix our state budget without further cutting money for public schools, public safety, health care and other services and addressing priorities like water quality. All of these must be funded adequately if our state is to grow. 

My final concern is that everyday Iowans will pay more, not less, if this passes. Remember, Amendment One applies only to the income tax. All other taxes will have to be increased to try to balance the budget. These include sales taxes, property taxes, license and other fees, and college tuition. Sales taxes could jump from 7%, including the local option sales tax, to 11.4% or even 14%. This will add up quickly when we buy gas or get car repair work done. Groceries may also be taxed. No one wants to see these taxes skyrocket when inflation is already a real problem.       

Amendment One will hinder Iowans’ ability to move forward and it’s wrong for our state. What can you do? Please give this some thought and share your concerns with family members and friends. We rejected this idea in 1999, and we must do it again.  Missouri just voted this down, so let’s join them and say NO.  

Fred Maharry, West Des Moines 

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