State senators and representatives return to the Statehouse in Des Moines next week for the upcoming 2018 Legislative Session.

House District 79 Representative Guy Vander Linden tells KNIA/KRLS News that balancing the state’s budget and exploring options for tax reform will be the highest priorities for legislators this year. He and many of his Republican colleagues feel the state’s corporate tax rate of 12 percent is too high, and says the aim of lowering that number is to cut down on the need to use tax credits to incentivize businesses to come to the state.

Vander Linden chairs the House Ways and Means committee, which is the main group in the Iowa House responsible for dealing with bills related to taxes.