Here is why we can't support the Senate's water solution plan

Senate File 504 would raise our statewide sales tax from $.06/$ to $.06375/$, with the increase (about $180 million/year) going to fund several different sectors of natural resources, conservation, and water quality. A good chunk of the money (71% or about $128 million/year) would end up being plugged into the State’s voluntary nutrient Reduction strategy, and forces taxpayers to further subsidize the cost of cleaning up corporate ag’s pollution.Some legislators are saying Iowa’s Water Crisis is over a $5 billion problem. If that is the case, appropriating $128 million/yr would take over 40 years to clean up the mess and invest the needed resources just to clean up the existing problem. And we know that $5 billion problem will get worse, not better, if we don’t change the polluting factory farm industry and our flawed monoculture cropping system.This is the Senate’s plan to contrast the House plan – House File 2451 -  which simply steals money from other places (including school infrastructure) and diverts it to water quality.Iowa CCI Action is not able to jump on board fully with either of these plans.

• We are throwing good money after bad if we don’t enact rules and regulations “with teeth” that crack down on pollution at its source. Farmers are trapped in a flawed system that is promoted by and benefits primarily the corporate ag industry
• Voluntary isn’t working. Never has, never will. We need mandatory fixes to Iowa’s water crisis, including stronger rules and tough enforcement.
• Taxpayers didn’t cause this water crisis. Corporate ag giants making billions in profits off of the factory farm and monoculture cropping industries should pay to clean it up.(Also: sales taxes are regressive and unfairly impact low income/communities of color – many of the same folks who are already being hit the hardest by Iowa’s water crisis)

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• Join as an Iowa CCI Action Fund member today or chip in $10 to support our organizing on this issue.
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