Common Good Iowa

Posts by Mike Owen

Want efficiency and a good return on investment? Stick with IPERS

Posted on August 25, 2025 at 4:47 PM by Mike Owen

Contrary to the DOGE sentiments, Iowans should be proud of our commitment in state law to IPERS. Now is the time to reassure current employees and retirees that IPERS is secure, and to recommit to future employees that they are valued and that a secure retirement is assured to them as well.

Categories: Budget & taxes, Jobs & labor

Tagged As: Governor Kim Reynolds, IPERS, State budget

Iowans know: Don't play with job numbers

Posted on August 14, 2025 at 5:25 PM by Mike Owen

Presidential interference with the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics is a reminder of how meddling by an Iowa governor clouded job data in our state.

Categories: Jobs & labor

Tagged As: Employment, Iowa jobs

The big 7% Off Sale! An annual folly for Iowa

Posted on July 31, 2025 at 9:59 AM by Mike Owen

Iowa's annual "Sales Tax Holiday" is a costly, confusing boondoggle that does little for those it purports to help. But who rushes to a "7%-off sale" anyway?

Categories: Budget & taxes

Tagged As: Sales tax, sales tax holiday, Vouchers

Iowa's leadership for refugees at stake in Senate

Posted on June 11, 2025 at 4:18 PM by Mike Owen

The SNAP debate in Washington is a reminder of Iowans' long history of offering refuge and care for people in...

Categories: Budget & taxes, Family support & well-being, Federal policy, Food security

Tagged As: Immigration, Refugees, SNAP

Report shows runaway data center tax breaks by states

Posted on May 13, 2025 at 12:19 PM by Mike Owen

Feed this into a computer and see what it spits back: To enhance the economy, and with it tax revenue,...

Categories: Budget & taxes

Tagged As: corporate income taxes, State budget, subsidies

Precarious budgeting promises painful future tradeoffs

Posted on May 9, 2025 at 2:21 PM by Mike Owen

As Iowa lawmakers start closing down the 2025 legislative session, uncertainties remain not only on what actions they may yet...

Categories: Budget & taxes

Tagged As: Property tax, Shortfall

Cutting supports to those in need — just to help the rich

Posted on March 18, 2025 at 5:29 PM by Mike Owen

So, you think that was a big battle last week over avoiding a federal shutdown? You haven’t seen anything. The...

Categories: Budget & taxes, Federal policy

Tagged As: Federal budget, Federal deficits and debt, Federal taxes, Medicaid, SNAP

Once again, tax cuts aren't the solution

Posted on January 27, 2025 at 9:45 AM by Mike Owen

Common Good Iowa research has identified many ways Iowa could do better by working families who are struggling. It’s always...

Categories: Budget & taxes, Jobs & labor

Tagged As: Income tax, Overtime and tipped wages

Dollar signs: Millions and billions – where to look first?

Posted on December 27, 2024 at 8:00 AM by Mike Owen

It’s easy to get buried in budget numbers and forget they translate to one thing: Services. We all count on...

Categories: Budget & taxes

Real decisions about to begin

Posted on November 2, 2024 at 12:25 PM by Mike Owen

When the arguments move from campaign ads to the halls of Congress and the Statehouse, the real decisions begin: Will...

Categories: Budget & taxes, Federal policy

Tagged As: Child tax credit, EITC, Federal taxes, State taxes

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Authors

Senate committee advances inadequate school funding proposal — again

Wrong time for property tax bill

Want efficiency and a good return on investment? Stick with IPERS

Iowans know: Don't play with job numbers

Republicans admit the need for minimum-wage hike — but only for themselves

Data snapshot: Iowa’s economy is losing ground

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