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Letter: Education hurt by commercial property tax cut
Op-Ed · April 23, 2015
The property tax cut for commercial property is being paid for by our children being denied educational funding.
While state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann objects to this articulation of his policy choices, it is hard not to conclude that his support of education is completely verbal. Making choices means accepting the consequences.
He chose McDonald’s over education, in two respects: by giving them completely unnecessary property tax relief and continuing to deny their workers a raise in the minimum wage. As tax revenue lags he is completely boxed in by his and his party’s choices of offering to all commercial establishments, not just small businesses, an overly generous tax break.
His needless struggle to “find” revenue for mental health and other social services overlooks the corporate welfare of the research and development tax break for businesses. Presently over 100 corporations in Iowa pay no income tax whatsoever but still share in over $30 million in annual state subsidy checks.
Why not close that loophole for the benefit of the children of the state? He finds the Westboro Church despicable but not freeloading multinational corporations who put, always, profit over education.
Verbal gymnastics will not hide the fact that his priorities harm our children’s future.
Clara Oleson,
West Branch
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