Letter: Proposed tax cuts are fiscally irresponsible
Interested candidates for summer jobs should contact Amber Mohmand at [email protected] for more details. Those interested in applying to work during the fall/spring term should contact Katherine Kealey at [email protected].
February 22, 2018
Iowa’s state budget is in a terrible condition.
The Iowa Senate just approved massive midyear budget cuts across the board, cutting critical areas in our state budget such as education, public safety and the Department of Human Services. The governor claims we need cuts because we “don’t have the budget” while proposing to cut tax revenue by over $1,000,000,000 and sitting on a rainy-day fund of $600,000,000.
We’re cutting our state universities by $14,700,000, back to pre-2000 funding levels while the regents are already planning to increase tuition rates up to 35 percent. We’re cutting public safety while crime rates and recidivism are on the rise. We continue to underfund K-12 education as Iowa lags behind in education rankings. We’re cutting the Department of Human Services by $6,200,000 while social workers are fatally understaffed and overworked. We’re cutting the entire Judicial Branch by $1,600,000 while they have over 100 critical positions vacant. We’re cutting public safety, corrections, community colleges, IPTV and the Department of Public Health.
These tax cuts are not only fiscally irresponsible, they are reckless.
