An Iowa Senate panel on Monday advanced a $250
million property tax cut for businesses, with a stern warning by Democrats that
they won't permit Republican Gov. Terry Branstad to cram his tax plan
"down our throats," The
Des Moines Register reported. A three-member subcommittee
approved Senate Study Bill 1135, sending it to the full Senate Ways and Means
Committee. Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, predicted the full Senate will
eventually approve the bill, setting up a showdown with Branstad, who has proposed
a $400 million package aimed at reducing tax bills on business properties and
limiting annual increases for all property classes.