Iowa House Republicans opened the public process of passing a tax cut package that’s fashioned after Governor Kim Reynolds’ proposal. Representative Peter Cownie, a Republican from West Des Moines, has been given the task of guiding the bill through the House. He indicated a committee vote won’t happen until after March 16.

The House plan, modeled after the governor’s, would cut personal income taxes by about 300 million a year when fully implemented. The Senate plan calls for reducing corporate taxes, too, and would amount to a billion dollars in total tax cuts per year. Business groups are lobbying the House to consider cutting corporate taxes.
Iowa Chamber Alliance executive director John Stineman says it’s not just big corporations, but small businesses organized as corporations that would benefit.

Groups representing teachers and unions registered their opposition to the tax cut plan, suggesting the state will be unable to meet its financial obligations and be forced to make drastic cuts in services.