ITR Foundation

09/03/2026

Data shows that Iowa is in support of the protection that Amendment 1 would provide. 📈

A poll conducted in June of this year showed that nearly 74% of Iowa voters support this protection.

That includes 72% of independent voters and 60% of Democrat voters, indicating broad bipartisan support.

Similar levels of support were also recorded in polling conducted in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

Amendment 1 would simply be a safety measure to make it harder to raise your taxes.

09/02/2026

Taxpayers deserve to know not only where the money goes, but what they are getting in return.

Iowa local governments should start with priorities, fund what matters most, and measure whether programs are actually delivering results.

Efficient. Effective. Accountable. Transparent. These are all goals local elected officials and staff routinely cite when crafting a budget. Achieving them, however, requires more than balancing revenues and expenditures. It also requires evaluating whether taxpayer resources are directed toward gov...

09/02/2026

Requiring a larger vote to increase taxes is NOT a new idea.

At least 16 states currently have some form of larger vote requirement in either their constitution or state law.

And this is in politically diverse states. 👀

Progressive states such as California and Oregon have larger majority requirements, as do swing states such as Arizona and Wisconsin, and more conservative states like Mississippi and Oklahoma.

Arkansas has the nation's longest-standing larger majority requirement, having adopted in 1934.

This is not a new idea. 💡

This is a common safeguard. 🔒

Amendment 1 is a safeguard measure on your ballot this year for Iowa. 🤝

08/31/2026

A change in one revenue source shouldn’t automatically mean taxpayers are asked to make up the difference through another.

Revenue projections change. State laws change. Economic conditions change.

School districts can’t control all of that, but they can control spending.

More modest spending plans should be part of the conversation.

Iowa lawmakers changed how school districts can use Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) sales-tax revenue this year, Now, school districts are pointing to that change as a reason voters should approve higher property taxes. But there is a problem with that explanation: some districts were...

08/29/2026

This November, Iowa Taxpayers Are On the Ballot.

Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Iowa voters will have the opportunity to place a permanent taxpayer protection into the state constitution.

The proposed amendment would make it harder for politicians to raise your taxes.

It's already been approved by the Iowa Legislature.

Now, it's in your hands.

Amendment 1 will be on the back of your ballot to vote on.

08/27/2026

What does Amendment 1 actually say?

The amendment provides, in part:

"Any bill to increase the individual income tax rate or the corporate income tax rate, or the rate of any other type of tax based upon income or legal and special reserves, shall require the affirmative votes of at least two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the legislature for passage."

The two-thirds requirement also applies to legislation establishing a new state tax on income or legal and special reserves.

In short, Amendment 1 makes it harder to raise state income taxes by requiring a broader agreement in the Iowa Legislature.

08/26/2026

Before government asks taxpayers to pay more, there should be a strong consensus that it is truly necessary.

This November, Iowans will vote on Amendment 1, requiring a two-thirds legislative vote to raise income taxes.

This November, Iowa voters will be asked to decide whether it should be harder for the state legislature to increase income taxes. Amendment 1, which is a good taxpayer protection, would require a two-thirds vote of the legislature to increase income taxes. Whether it is the state legislature, a cit...

08/26/2026

"...no longer feasible or responsible to our taxpayers." We're glad the City of Des Moines has finally come to this conclusion but giving millions of dollars to a billionaire for a soccer stadium was never responsible to taxpayers.

The city of Des Moines announces that, facing budget challenges, it's ending negotiations with Krause Group for a downtown soccer stadium development.

08/25/2026

Why are supporters proposing Amendment 1?

The individual income tax burden has been significantly reduced in Iowa in recent years.

In 2018, it was almost 9%. Today, it's a flat 3.8%.

Supporters of Amendment 1 believe future income tax hikes should require broader legislative agreement AND that this protection should be placed in the Iowa Constitution rather than left to the discretion of any particular legislature.

08/25/2026

Federal revenue came in $50 billion higher than expected in July. But even record revenue can’t overcome Washington’s spending problem.

With a $1.8 trillion deficit and national debt above $40 trillion, Congress needs structural guardrails to rein in spending.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that federal revenue in July was $50 billion higher than expected, crediting President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill for the increase. The additional revenue is a positive sign for the economy, but even unexpectedly strong receipts are not eno...