Former President Herbert Hoover argued that governments have the instincts of a vegetable — that is, “they keep spreading and growing.” Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) echoed Hoover when she stated that “like any large organization, government is marked by bureaucracy’s natural tendency to grow. If that growth isn’t constantly checked and rechanneled toward its core function, it quickly takes on a life of its own.”
This is why Reynolds has made reform of government a priority during her time in office. Fiscal conservatism is not just pro-growth tax reform, but even more importantly it must include limiting spending and reducing the size of government.
Fiscal policy has been a significant part of Reynolds’s agenda: “We reduced taxes—saving Iowans more than $24 billion over 10 years. No more tax on retirement income. No inheritance tax. And starting this month [January 2025], Iowans get to keep even more of the money they earn, with a 3.8 percent flat tax — a far cry from the 8.98 percent of six years ago,” said Reynolds. Iowa’s corporate tax rate, once the highest in the nation at 12 percent, has been reduced to 7.1 percent and will continue to decrease until it reaches a flat 5.5 percent…