Group wants to shift taxes to land

A Delhi man died last night after hitting a deer with his motorcycle. Authorities say 32-year old Michael Wilson was traveling on a Delaware County road southwest of Delhi when he hit the deer. Wilson was thrown off the cycle onto the highway. He was taken to a Cedar Rapids hospital where he later died. Authorities says Wilson was not wearing a helmet. A group of Iowans pushing for tax reform are meeting in Des Moines today and tomorrow to discuss what they call a “tax shift,” which they say could help Iowa homeowners, renters, business people and farmers.Robert Willis is organizing the conference called “Tax Shift 2000: Towards Sustainable Renewal of Iowa’s Cities, Towns and Farms.” Willis would like to see the eventual elimination of sales taxes and income taxes, while shifting the tax onto the value of land.Willis says this shift is advocated by a growing number of government leaders in order to curb sprawl and promote higher wages, while keeping land affordable for housing, commerce and farmers. He hopes to reach some state and local leaders with this conference.The conference is underway through tomorrow at the Four Points Sheraton North in Des Moines. For more information, surf to “www.progress.org/cgo”.