The committee that sets policy for the National League of Cities is meeting in Ames this weekend. Ames Mayor Ted Tedesco is the president of the Iowa League of Cities and host of the meeting. Tedesco says they talked about several issues the cities want Congress to address in the next year. He says the issues include the collecting of Internet sales and catalog sales and use taxes, international trade agreements and the refusal of federal agencies to withhold local income taxes. Tedesco says they’d like to see something done with the Internet sales taxes. He says these taxes are in violation of state sales and use taxes and they have not been collected and then Congress pass a moratorium on collecting the taxes. Tedesco says the taxes are important in tough budget times. He says the taxes that’re not being paid could add up to 100-million dollars for the state of Iowa. Tedesco says city officials feel the economy will turn around sometime in the future. He says the short-term is the biggest worry, as the cities are asked to pick up the slack as higher up government programs are dropped. Tedesco says city officials will have to make some tough budget choices.He says local governments will have to look at cutting, or reducing programs. The meeting began Friday and wraps up today.
