Legislators look to suspend tax on utilities

Two leading Republican lawmakers are working on a plan to temporarily suspend the state sales tax on utility bills. House Speaker Brent Siegrist of Council Bluffs says the move would help Iowans deal with high heating costs this winter.Siegrist says it’s not clear if legislators would try to pass the suspension in a special session, or wait until the legislature begins work in January.House Majority Leader Christopher Rants of Sioux City says the tax could either be eliminated or cut in half. Iowans are charged five-percent state sales tax on utility bills. Rants says lawmakers could act on the issue early in the session and give Iowans relief for January, February and March.Rants says the suspension of the sales tax on utility bills would be temporary as he believes the price spike in natural gas is also temporary.