Common Good Iowa is a left-of-center advocacy organization that advocates increased social welfare spending in Iowa. The organization opposes cutting Iowa’s state income tax, claiming that tax cuts would benefit the wealthy and lead to draconian cuts in Iowa’s welfare spending. ¹ It is also an opponent of school choice ² and adding work requirements to welfare benefits. ³

History

Common Good Iowa advocates for increased welfare spending and an increased government role in the economy in Iowa. ⁴ It was formed with the merger of two Iowa-based left-of-center organizations: the Child and Family Policy Center and Iowa Policy Project. ⁴

Advocacy

Tax Policy

Common Good Iowa is generally opposed to cutting Iowa’s state income tax. In 2023, the state considered a deep reduction and possibly even the elimination of its income tax. ¹ The organization claimed the tax cuts would overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy and lead to further cuts in social-welfare spending. ¹

The group claimed that Iowa’s budget surplus was due to an infusion of one-time COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government and that the revenue increases from economic growth would be too small to even pay the state’s bills. ¹

It also claimed that tax cuts would overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy at the expense of low- and middle-income Iowans, increasing wealth inequality. The group claimed the proposal would shift the tax burden from the income tax, paid predominately by wealthy Iowans, to the state sales tax, which is predominately collected from the poorer Iowans. It claims that this tax shift would increase inequality in the state. ¹

Finally, the organization claims that cutting income taxes does not lead to economic growth, pointing to experience in other states such as Kansas. ¹

Child Care Work Requirements

In April 2023, the Iowa legislature advanced a bill that would increase reimbursements for childcare but created work requirements in order to access the state assistance. ³

Common Good Iowa opposed the addition of the work requirements. It claimed that the work requirements were not requested by the governor’s task force that was studying the childcare issue. ³

Opposition To School Choice

Common Good Iowa opposed an expansion of school choice that was enacted in 2023. It claimed that too few families would be able to benefit because many rural Iowa counties do not have a private school. ²

Leadership

Anne Discher is the executive director of the organization. She was previously at the Child and Family Policy Center for 10 years. ⁵

Finances

According to its 2021 tax returns, Common Good Iowa received $998,718 in revenue and had $1,033,411 in expenses. It had $473,415 in assets. ⁶

It receives grants from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, a left-leaning grantmaker. ⁷

1. “New Income Tax Cuts: A Recipe for Disaster and Inequity.” Common Good Iowa. Accessed May 22, 2023. https://www.commongoodiowa.org/policy-areas/state-budget–taxes/new-income-tax-cuts-a-recipe-for-disaster-and-inequity
2. Tibbetts, Ed. “Few Iowa Families Will Have More Choices with GOP ‘School Choice’ Plan.” Iowa Capital Dispatch. January 17, 2023. https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/01/17/few-iowa-families-will-have-more-choices-with-gop-school-choice-plan/.
3. Barton, Tom. “More Iowa Parents Would Qualify for Child Care Assistance; Would Have to Work More.” The Gazette, April 26, 2023. https://www.thegazette.com/state-government/more-iowa-parents-would-qualify-for-child-care-assistance-would-have-to-work-more-hours/.
4. “About.” Common Good Iowa. Accessed May 22, 2023. https://www.commongoodiowa.org/about.
5. “Anne Discher.” Common Good Iowa. Accessed May 22, 2023. https://www.commongoodiowa.org/about/staff-members/anne-discher.
6. Common Good Iowa. Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax. Accessed May 22, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/861518320/202232279349303538/full.
7. “Common Good Iowa.” David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Accessed May 22, 2023. https://www.packard.org/grants-and-investments/grants-database/common-good-iowa-3/.