Iowa runs on small businesses. Nearly 290,000 of them make up 99% of our local establishments, employ almost half our workforce, and keep Main Streets strong across our communities.
During National Small Businesses Week, I toured one of our hometown companies — Innovative Manufacturing & Engineering in Des Moines — where the co-owner Brandon told me about how the Working Families Tax Cuts are showing up on his factory floor. ⬇️
For Brandon, these aren’t savings on paper. They’re the difference between sourcing parts overseas and onshoring that work to Iowa — expanding into aerospace and defense manufacturing to supply critical components American companies rely on.
What the Working Families Tax Cuts mean for Iowa businesses:
🔧 Permanent 20% small business deduction — Business owners avoid a tax hike and keep more capital to hire and expand
🏭 100% bonus depreciation — Manufacturers and farmers can write off new machinery and equipment the year they buy it, not years later
📈 Higher Section 179 expensing cap — Equipment-heavy operations can make major investments with more certainty and less red tape
💡 Full R&D expensing restored — Small businesses can deduct research and development costs upfront, keeping innovation rooted in Iowa
Why it matters: When owners like Brandon have the certainty to invest — in equipment, in people, in production capacity — that investment stays here. It means jobs in towns that need them and supply chains that run through Iowa instead of around it.
Bottom Line: This National Small Business Week, Iowa’s small businesses are investing, hiring, and growing — and I’ll keep working to make sure Washington doesn’t get in their way.