(Radio Iowa) – State Representative Eddie Andrews — one of the Republicans who’s running for governor — says there are several pathways to the ultimate goal of getting rid of property taxes in Iowa — but the process will take time. “Obviously we can’t eliminate it on day one, or day three for that matter,” Andrews said. “We can set it up to phase out.” Andrews says there should be immediate relief for seniors and veterans, some of whom own their homes but cannot afford the property taxes. Andrews says he’s crunching the numbers on a plan that would phase out the property tax — and likely have the state of Iowa pick up the cost for some services local governments now provide.

“It’s is very doable,” Andrews said. “…Other states are now starting to talk about this as well.” Florida lawmakers have introduced a slate of bills this week that would completely eliminate property taxes in their state. Andrews is suggesting he’ll propose three different alternatives that would offset the loss of property tax revenue to local governments. “The simplest one that people talk about is simply increasing the sales tax,” Andrews says, “and letting all those vistors — and people who show up every four years for our Caucuses — help pay for that.”

Andrews, who is from Johnston, made his comments during a recent appearance on Iowa P-B-S. Andrews was first elected to the state legislature in 2020 and is in the middle of his third term in the Iowa House.