Iowa Poll Backs Sales Tax for Water and Land
Iowa water quality poll finds 69% of voters support a three-eighths-cent sales tax increase for the Natural Resources Trust Fund.
A poll by Meeting Street Insights found that 69% of Iowa voters support raising the state sales tax by three-eighths of a cent to fund conservation, clean water, and land protection. The poll found support from 59% of Republicans, 85% of Democrats, and 65% of Independents. It also found that 66% of voters view poor water quality as an extremely or very serious problem, up from 32% in 2021. Water quality now ranks as the third-highest issue for the Iowa Legislature, behind inflation and public education.
Support for Trust Fund
In 2010, 63% of Iowa voters approved a constitutional amendment creating the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. The fund was designed to establish dedicated revenue for water quality, soil conservation, habitat protection, and local park enhancements, but it remains unfunded because the required sales tax increase has not been implemented. The new poll found that 75% of voters still support the original amendment.
Kirk Leeds, Chief Executive Officer at Iowa Soybean Association, said:
“Iowans are sending a loud and clear message to state leadership - water quality is no longer a back-burner issue - it’s an urgent priority. Voters overwhelmingly support funding to provide rural Iowa with the tools they need to provide cleaner water, they remain ready to fund real solutions.”
Concern Over Water Quality
The poll found that concern about water safety, polluted rivers, and farm runoff has risen since 2021. Forty percent of voters gave Iowa’s rivers and streams a grade of D or F, compared with 23% in the earlier poll, while 19% assigned an outright F grade.
Hannah Inman, CEO at Great Outdoors Foundation, said:
“Protecting our drinking water and conserving our natural land benefits every single community in Iowa. The public support is firmly in place, giving legislators the confidence to move forward with these constituent priorities. The need to protect our water has never been more urgent.”
Voter Support for Action
The poll also found a 49-point increase in voter favorability for state legislators who vote to fund the trust fund. Support for the measure would raise favorability for the next governor by 37 points, according to the polling results.
