Op-Ed
Homeownership forms the core of the American dream. A home allows families to build equity, plant their roots and, most importantly, make lasting memories.
However, due to the bleak state of our economy, that dream is out of reach for too many families in rural Iowa.
Exports are essential to our agriculture community and rural economy in Iowa. In 2021 alone, Iowa exported nearly $14.3 billion worth of agricultural goods, including $3.7 billion in soybeans, $3.1 billion in corn, $2.7 billion in pork, and $592 million in beef.
Iowa and California are very different places — and that’s a good thing.
While California families pay upward of 13.3 percent in state income tax, Iowans enjoy substantially lower and fairer tax rates.
Agriculture is a capital-intensive industry. From buying fertilizer, seed, feed, and pesticides to purchasing new machinery, Iowa farmers and producers must maintain a tight budget to turn a profit and feed our country and the world.
Earlier this month, I led a letter joined by seven of my colleagues to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen raising our concerns about an extraterritorial tax Germany is imposing on American companies.
American fuel retailers, corn growers, ethanol producers, and our families face unnecessary uncertainty year after year awaiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s arbitrary, last-minute waivers to allow for the summertime sale of E-15 at gas stations nationwide.
Every year, filing taxes is both frustrating and confusing for millions of Americans. Not only is the process time-consuming and complex, but also discouraging as taxpayers see a large percentage of their earnings disappear into the depths of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).