Monday, December 04, 2006

A coalition of Iowa chambers of commerce is asking the Legislature to set
aside a chunk of new gambling revenue to help pay for major attractions
across the state. This would be a renewal of sorts for the Vision Iowa
program. The Iowa Chamber Alliance announced this proposal, and a dozen
others, at a Statehouse news conference. The alliance represents 16 regional
groups, including the Mason City Chamber of Commerce. "For successful
revitalization, community leaders need a wide variety of tools," said Nicole
Christian, senior vice president for DavenportOne, an organization that
includes the Davenport Chamber of Commerce. Vision Iowa is a program started
in the summer of 2000 that earmarked more than $200 million for 13 projects,
with most of the money spent in the state's largest metro areas. The program
gave out the last of its money in December 2004. Legislative leaders have
talked about renewing it or replacing it with a similar program, but no
action has been taken. Not only do Chamber Alliance leaders want a new
program, they want it to have more favorable terms than Vision Iowa, with no
cap on the amount of money that can be given to individual projects. The
Chamber Alliance plan would allocate 25 percent of new gambling revenue for
such a program. On other issues, Debi Durham, president of the Siouxland
Chamber, said the Legislature needs to find a way to lower property taxes
for businesses. "Property taxes in the state are very uncompetitive for
commercial and industrial property," she said. The reason for the problem is
the so-called rollback, a decades-old tax discount for homeowners that puts
a disproportionate share of the tax burden on businesses. Incoming House
Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, in mid-November said the Legislature will
make it a high priority to deal with property taxes, though he had no
specific plan. Among the other recommendations of the Chamber Alliance:
* The state law passed this summer restricting eminent-domain powers should
be reconsidered to take into account the law's potential harm to the
economy. The high-profile law was passed by the Legislature in an override
of Gov. Tom Vilsack's veto.

* The state should simplify its income tax formula by reducing the number of
tax brackets in a way that will not alter the amount of money raised.

* Federal, state and local governments should work together to encourage the
development of renewable-fuel production in Iowa.

* The state should reduce the wage requirements needed for employers qualify
for aid from the Iowa Values Fund. Right now, employers must pay well above
the average wage for their region. The Chamber Alliance wants to lower the
requirement to employers will only need to meet the average.