Leaders on state tax writing committee hire someone to do their taxes

If you’ve had to hire someone to figure out your Iowa income taxes, you’renot alone. The top two legislators on the House Ways and Means, tax-writingcommittee hire someone to fill out their tax forms. Representative JamesVan Fossen, a republican from Davenport, is chairman of the tax-writingpanel and says he has someone do his taxes.Representative Don Shoultz of Waterloo is the top-ranking democrat on thecommittee and he isn’t calculating his own taxes, either.Last fall, Van Fossen staged a news conference to announce that the 1999Iowa legislature would simplify the tax forms. He says that won’t happendthis year but may next year. The two legislators made their comments on IowaPublic Television.