Republican Iowa Senator Tom Shipley, from Nodaway, was in Atlantic Thursday, to join Republican Governor Kim Reynolds and others for a tour of the Whitney building, which is being renovated into living and business spaces. Shipley said “It’s really going to be a first-class facility,” thanks to public and private sector investments. He said “To its credit.. Iowa is very easy to work with,” where tax credits for that type of projects is concerned. “The Federal Government,” conversely he says, is not so user friendly to work with. The Iowa system worked very very well, these tax credits get a lot of attention..they will get a lot of attention throughout the next session.” He says they will continue to be used for that purpose when other means can’t get the job done.

Shipley said there’s been some rumblings out of Washington to get rid of the Historical Tax credits, and something needs to be done to put those funds under State control. He says there would be more dollars for States to work with if the Feds stepped out of the picture, because the administrative costs would be cut. Shipley says during the upcoming session, the Legislature will take a close look at water quality issues. Other matters include the SAVE dollars for school districts in Iowa.

He says they’re also looking at the Senate’s version of the Tax Reform Bill, but that hinges on what action is taken in Washington, D.C. He says the current system is too complex and burdensome. It will also depend on a report due out the middle of this month from the Revenue Estimating Committee.

Shipley serves District 11, which includes Pottawattamie, most of Cass, Adams, and Union Counties. He was first elected to the Iowa Legislature in 2014, and has announced he is running for his second term in office.