• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Top Republican urges Governor to veto change in use of local option sales tax

Top Republican urges Governor to veto change in use of local option sales tax

May 12, 2008 By admin

The top Republican in the Iowa House is among those urging the governor to reject part of a budget bill that would give new authority to city officials. At issue is a bid to give city councils the power to take local option sales taxes raised for a specific purpose, like sewage system improvements, and redirect the money to economic development projects.

House Republican Leader Christopher Rants of Sioux City says while fixing up blighted areas may be worthwhile, it violates the public trust to redirect tax money that voters were told would be used in a different manner.

“If the voters approved a local option sales tax for a specific purpose, then I think the voters’ will should be observed,” Rants says. “…Just to give city councils the authority to just ignore what the voters told them and use the money for something else — even if it’s for a good purpose — that just strikes me as wrong.”

Governor Chet Culver, a Democrat, has line item veto authority to reject certain provisions in budget bills. The proposal Rants finds objectionable was included in an amendment to a budget bill that cleared the 2008 legislature in its final hours.

“If this was a good idea, perhaps it should have gone through committee, been discussed somewhere along the lines and voted on as a separate bill rather than just tucked into an amendment that’s dropped on us at one o’clock in the morning and then voted on without any debate or discussion,” Rants says.

Rants is from Sioux City where city voters approved a local option sales tax so that revenue could be used to replace property taxes. “So if they changed the purpose, I’m not sure that’d fly in my town,” Rants says. Some legal experts say city councils might be sued if they were to divert taxes raised for one purpose to a different objective. 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Chet Culver, Democratic Party, Legislature, Republican Party

Featured Stories

Governor signs Iowa Renewable Fuels Standard into law

Jury returns guilty verdict in shooting death of State Trooper

A haboob, a dust storm black out, hits northwest Iowa

Summit has easements for 20% of carbon pipeline route through Iowa

Morel mushroom hunters on hold without warmer conditions

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa’s Huckstorf garners national award

Iowa Special Olympics Summer games set to open in Ames

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 5/16/22

Iowa assistant coach Kirk Speraw to retire

Northern Iowa prepares for Missouri Valley Conference softball tournament

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC