President Joe Biden made his Presidential reelection announcement today, and ITR Live is here with a rapid reaction. Biden says repeatedly that he wants to "finish the job", but what exactly does he mean? Based on his policy agenda over the first part of his Presidency, would it be more accurate to say Biden wants a second term to "finish us off?"

Chris, Chris and John also take a look at a couple of significant changes in the media, with the departure here in Iowa of Dave Price from WHO-TV in Des Moines, and Fox News Channel parting ways with Tucker Carlson.

The Iowa House and Iowa Senate have passed their separate bills addressing the issue of property taxes in the state of Iowa. Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are back to help bring some understanding to these two different proposals. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each plan and what are the prospects for reaching an agreement between the two chambers? A key difference that Chris and John explore is the House's plan to shift money out of the Taxpayer Relief Fund into the School Foundation Aid formula.

With just eight days left on the calendar until the scheduled adjournment date of the 2023 legislative session, House Republicans and Senate Republicans each have new bills dealing with the issue of property taxes. ITR Live is here to help make sense of one new component in each proposal: Direct Notification. This concept would help Iowa taxpayers get property-specific information about their property tax bill, and also provide details on when and where to show up for their local public budget hearing.

We also take a look at the budget differences between the two chambers, and what it might take take to wrap up the session. Are the two sides all that far apart?

Here is the link to the full article on Truth-in-Taxation: https://itrfoundation.org/truth-in-taxation-would-benefit-iowa-taxpayers/

The ITR Foundation Poll reveals that Iowans support limitations on what local governments can spend as a way to reduce property taxes. Iowans overwhelmingly understand that our country is off on the wrong track.

Iowa taxpayers and small businesses have struggled to recover from the pandemic and the impact of high inflation. President Biden’s tax increases would be especially harmful to Iowa’s Main Street businesses and compound an already fragile economy.

Read John Hendrickson and Matt Everson's recent article here: https://itrfoundation.org/president-bidens-budget-threatens-main-street/

The latest edition of the ITR Foundation Poll is here. Chris and Chris go through some of the more interesting results, which contain a way-too-early look at the 2024 Iowa Republican Presidential Caucus and the 2024 general election.

This latest poll contains a hypothetical rematch between President Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump. Also, this installment of the ITR Foundation Poll has the first look at a potential matchup between President Biden and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Iowans are becoming increasingly frustrated at their property tax burden, which was put into overdrive this week as property tax assessment notices are landing in mailboxes across Iowa. John has a quick look at results results from truth-in-taxation efforts in other states, and Chris wants to have a chat about what is really driving your property tax bill (hint: it's not the assessed value).

Equipment upgrades, construction updates and inexplicable laughter on this episode of ITR Live.

Chris, Chris and John have a free-wheeling look at a new tax ranking for Iowa (spoiler alert: Property taxes are too high). The guys also have an update on what's going on with the "entertainment district" bill which is a straight-up tax increase and moving quickly through the Iowa House.

Finally, does the indictment of President Trump help or hurt him? Is this the beginning of the end for Trump, or does it help him solidify a third Republican nomination for President?

Chris, John and John are back to discuss two new bills running through legislature that could provide meaningful new protections for Iowa taxpayers. SSB1207 and HSB232 are identical bills that each contain two new proposed Iowa constitutional amendments. The first proposal is a requirement for a 2/3rds vote of the legislature for any new income tax increase. The second proposal would constitutionally protect the Taxpayer Relief Fund to make sure it could only be used to cut taxes. These both seem like good ideas, but John has a few lingering questions that should be considered.

In part 2 of this episode, Chris has an in-studio interview with Daniel Dew of Pacific Legal Foundation who was in Iowa this week to help advance a bill that brings fairness to individual Iowans when they challenge the administrative branch's rule-making.

You can learn more about PLF here: https://pacificlegal.org/

A recent article in the Washington Post laments Iowa's recent shift to the right politically, and claims that Iowa is now the "Florida of the North." The ITR Live Crew of uneducated hillbillies from flyover country discuss whether or not that is the insult it was intended to be.

John walks through numbers from the recent Revenue Estimating Conference, and how the stage is set for even more work on tax relief. Maybe liberal states should think about becoming the coastal version of Iowa.

John's recent Op-Ed on Iowa's fiscal strength: https://www.thecentersquare.com/iowa/article_712540dc-c7f4-11ed-93fa-d7340c564699.html

More from ITR Foundation on the March REC estimate: https://itrfoundation.org/state-revenue-projections-are-growing/