(Radio Iowa) – A state tax break for some Iowa high school grads who’ve become veterinarians is being considered in the Iowa Senate. It’s for veterinarians getting federal student loan assistance who are practicing in Iowa counties the U-S-D-A designates as areas where there’s a shortage of veterinary services.
Jennifer Dorman is a lobbyist for the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association.”It’s meaningful to the veterinarians that are going out in rural Iowa,” Dorman said. “They’re having to pay income tax on their repayment award.”
Jake Swanson, a lobbyist for the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, says it’s no secret that there’s a shortage of veterinarians in rural Iowa. “We certainly want to do everything we can to kind of grow that workforce,” Swanson said, “and this bill goes a long way to accomplish that goal.”
The bill won approval in a Senate subcommittee this (Tuesday) morning. A recent study by Penn State University found only three to four percent of graduating veterinarians planned enter a practice that primarily serves livestock — and about half of rural veterinarians in the United States are within five years of retiring.
