Author: deanfiihr Published: February 7th, 2012
Iowans are urged to file their income tax returns electronically while taking advantage of free tax preparation services available through the IRS Free File program.
Every taxpayer with a 2010 Adjusted Gross Income of $57,000 or less may utilize free preparation and e-filing for their federal tax returns at no cost at www.IRS.gov/freefile. This service is made possible through a partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance, a coalition of industry-leading tax software companies.
More than 33 million returns have been filed through IRS Free File since its inception. For more information on the program, visit www.freefilealliance.org.
Tags: efile, income tax, Tax
Category Featured, Recent News |
Author: deanfiihr Published: February 2nd, 2012
House Republicans released their budget for the 2013 year and it hits the state’s job creation efforts and education especially hard. Here’s the response from House Democratic Leader Kevin McCarthy:
The Republican budget will pull the plug on our job creation efforts next year. House Democrats are committed to strengthening our economy and growing the middle class. We won’t turn our back on economic development efforts to help Iowa Main Street businesses grow while rewarding big Wall Street corporations with over-sized tax breaks that won’t benefit Iowans.
With the future of our economy dependent on a highly-skilled workforce, we also can’t afford to short-change opportunities for Iowans to get the skills they need to land a good-paying job. We’re going to work with the Senate and Governor Branstad to craft a responsible budget.
Tags: budget targets, Iowa Budget, Iowa House Republicans, Kevin McCarthy, Nick Wagner, Scott Raecker
Category 2012 Session Information, Budget, Featured, Recent News |
Author: deanfiihr Published: February 1st, 2012
The outlook for Iowa’s economy continues to improve as a new survey of businesses leaders out today predicts solid growth for Iowa and the Midwest.
Here’s the latest from the Associated Press:
A big jump in a monthly survey index suggests more economic growth is ahead for nine Midwest and Plains states.
The Business Conditions Index rose to 55.9 in January, compared with 50.0 in December.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the December report suggested the region’s economy was slowing down because of debt concerns in Europe and the lukewarm U.S. economy. But he says it appears now that December’s “tepid reading was due to seasonal or nonrecurring factors.”
The survey uses a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Goss says that any score above 50 suggests growth while a score below 50 suggests decline for that factor.
The survey of supply managers covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Tags: Iowa Economy, Midwest Survey
Category Featured, Jobs & Economy, Recent News |
Author: deanfiihr Published: January 26th, 2012
The Iowa House approved a bipartisan bill today to prevent a tuition hike on National Guard members who are back in college this year. Last week, House Democrats pushed Republicans to approve the bill quickly and end the uncertainty for National Guard students. The bill was approved by the Senate last week and now goes to the Governor.
Here’s the latest from Radio Iowa’s Kay Henderson:
$1.3 million set aside for Guard tuition grants (audio)
January 26, 2012 By O. Kay Henderson
The Iowa House has given final legislative approval to an emergency allotment of $1.3 million that will cover tuition costs for Iowa National Guard soldiers who’ve enrolled in college courses.
Representative Chris Hall, a Democrat from Sioux City, has heard from a number of soldiers in his district who saw their individual benefits cut by $1300 for this semester.
“During the first week of the legislature, I know that I received emails from several of our Guardsmen from the 185th Air Refueling Wing,” Hall says.
Representative Jerry Kearns, a Democrat from Keokuk, says this fulfills a promise made to those soldiers.
“I would have been happy to act on this last week and (get) it out of the way, but I’m very pleased we’re here today acting on it,” Kearns says.
The Iowa Senate approved the bill last week, but Republicans delayed action in the Iowa House to ensure that the Guard indeed needed that much money to fulfill its tuition grant promises. Representative Royd Chambers, a Republican from Sheldon who is a member of the Iowa Air National Guard, says Republicans were just doing their “due dilligence” in checking the numbers.
“We are, of course, all in support of supporting our National Guard members,” Chambers says. “But we also must remember that we are responsible for spending our tax dollars wisely and efficiently.”
Representative John Wittneben, a Democrat from Estherville, says legislators set aside money for the program last year, but that was before about 3000 Iowa National Guard soldiers came back to Iowa after active duty in Afghanistan.
“It’s awful hard to appropriate these dollars when you don’t know how many are going to be returning and taking advantage of this education (grant),” Wittneben says.
The Guard announced in December that Education Assistance grants to its soldiers would be cut because there wasn’t enough money set aside to cover the tuition grants for the 1400 Iowa National Guard soldiers who’re enrolled in college. Governor Branstad has indicated he’ll sign the legislation.
In other action this morning, the Iowa House approved spending $3 million in state money to help restore the USS Iowa, a World War II era battleship that will be docked in Los Angeles as a floating museum. The Iowa Senate approved that level of spending on the project last week.
Tags: chris hall, iowa national guard, john wittneben, Tuition Assistance
Category 2012 Session Information, Featured, Recent News, Veterans |
Author: deanfiihr Published: January 24th, 2012
Iowa’s economy continued to pick up steam last month, as Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.6%. Here’s the release from Iowa Workforce Development:
Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent in December, the lowest level reported since June 2009. The current rate compares with 5.7 percent for November, and 6.1 percent for December 2010. The U.S. unemployment rate dropped for the fourth straight month in December to 8.5 percent. The November rate was revised to 8.7 percent, and the December 2010 rate stood at 9.4 percent.
“The state’s economy ended 2011 in a better place than was expected just a few months ago,” said Teresa Wahlert, director of Iowa Workforce Development. “Both the labor force and total employment are beginning to trend upward, and the unemployment rate has fallen considerably below the 6.0 percent mark.”
The statewide estimate of unemployed persons fell to 93,500 in December from 94,700 in November. The level of unemployed persons stood at 102,600 one year ago.
The total number of working Iowans increased to 1,565,500 in December from 1,562,000 in November. Iowa’s measure of total employment began to increase in November after declining since May.
Tags: Iowa Economy, iowa workforce development
Category Featured, Recent News |
