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HF2198 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to the disclosure of tax incentives provided to web search portal businesses and data center businesses, and including effective date provisions.

A bill for an act relating to the disclosure of tax incentives provided to web search portal businesses and data center businesses, and including effective date provisions.

Taxes
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
ZABNER
Last action
2026-01-29
Official status
Introduced, referred to Ways and Means. H.J. 173 .
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act relating to the disclosure of tax incentives provided to web search portal businesses and data center businesses, and including effective date provisions.

A bill for an act relating to the disclosure of tax incentives provided to web search portal businesses and data center businesses, and including effective date provisions.

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to the disclosure of tax incentives provided to web search portal businesses and data center businesses, and including effective date provisions.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-29 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Ways and Means. H.J. 173 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to the disclosure of tax incentives provided to web search portal businesses and data center businesses, and including effective date provisions.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

2198

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

2198

BY

ZABNER

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

the

disclosure

of

tax

incentives

provided

to

1

web

search

portal

businesses

and

data

center

businesses,

and

2

including

effective

date

provisions.

3

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

4

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2198

Section

1.

Section

422.20,

subsection

3,

paragraph

a,

Code

1

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

a.

Unless

otherwise

expressly

permitted

by

section

8G.4

,

3

section

11.41

,

section

96.11,

subsection

6

,

section

421.17,

4

subsections

22,

23,

and

26

,

section

421.17,

subsection

27

,

5

paragraph

“k”

,

section

421.17,

subsection

31

,

section

252B.9

,

6

section

321.40,

subsection

6

,

sections

321.120

,

421.19

,

421.28

,

7

421.59

,

421.65

,

422.72

,

section

423.3,

subsections

92,

93,

8

and

95,

section

423.4,

subsections

7

and

8,

section

452A.63

,

9

and

556.19,

subsection

2

,

this

section

,

or

another

provision

10

of

law,

a

tax

return,

return

information,

or

investigative

11

or

audit

information

shall

not

be

divulged

to

any

person

12

or

entity,

other

than

the

taxpayer,

the

department,

or

13

internal

revenue

service

for

use

in

a

matter

unrelated

to

tax

14

administration.

15

Sec.

2.

Section

423.3,

subsection

92,

paragraph

b,

16

subparagraph

(5),

Code

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

17

(5)

(a)

The

web

search

portal

business

shall

register

18

with

the

department

as

a

web

search

portal.

To

maintain

its

19

registration,

the

web

search

portal

business

shall

file

an

20

annual

report

with

the

department,

by

January

31,

2026,

and

by

21

each

January

31

thereafter.

The

annual

report

shall

describe

22

the

aggregate

sales

price

amount

of

backup

power

generation

23

fuel

and

electricity

purchased

and

the

amount

used

in

the

24

previous

calendar

year

for

the

purposes

described

in

paragraph

25

“a”

,

subparagraphs

(2)

and

(3),

and

any

other

information

the

26

department

requires.

27

(b)

Beginning

with

an

annual

report

due

on

or

after

January

28

31,

2027,

the

annual

report

shall

also

contain

the

aggregate

29

sales

price

amount

of

exempt

property

purchased

under

paragraph

30

“a”

,

subparagraph

(1).

31

(c)

(i)

For

annual

reports

due

on

or

after

January

31,

32

2027,

the

department

of

revenue

shall

estimate

the

amount

of

33

tax

saved

under

this

subchapter

by

the

business

solely

based

34

upon

the

aggregate

sales

price

amounts

disclosed

in

the

annual

35

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report.

1

(ii)

The

name

of

the

web

search

portal

business

filing

2

the

annual

report

and

the

amount

of

estimated

tax

saved

that

3

is

described

in

this

subparagraph

division

shall

be

a

public

4

record

on

or

after

January

31,

2027.

5

Sec.

3.

Section

423.3,

subsection

93,

paragraph

b,

6

subparagraph

(5),

Code

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

7

(5)

(a)

The

web

search

portal

business

shall

register

with

8

the

department

as

a

web

search

portal

business.

To

maintain

9

its

registration,

the

web

search

portal

business

shall

file

an

10

annual

report

with

the

department,

by

January

31,

2026,

and

by

11

each

January

31

thereafter.

The

annual

report

shall

describe

12

the

aggregate

sales

price

amount

of

backup

power

generation

13

fuel

and

electricity

purchased

and

the

amount

used

in

the

14

previous

calendar

year

for

the

purposes

described

in

paragraph

15

“a”

,

subparagraphs

(2)

and

(3),

and

any

other

information

the

16

department

requires.

17

(b)

Beginning

with

an

annual

report

due

on

or

after

January

18

31,

2027,

the

annual

report

shall

contain

the

aggregate

sales

19

price

amount

of

exempt

property

purchased

under

paragraph

“a”

,

20

subparagraph

(1).

21

(c)

(i)

For

annual

reports

due

on

or

after

January

31,

22

2027,

the

department

of

revenue

shall

estimate

the

amount

of

23

tax

saved

under

this

subchapter

by

the

business

solely

based

24

upon

the

aggregate

sales

price

amounts

disclosed

in

the

annual

25

report.

26

(ii)

The

name

of

the

web

search

portal

business

filing

27

the

annual

report

and

the

amount

of

estimated

tax

saved

that

28

is

described

in

this

subparagraph

division

shall

be

a

public

29

record

on

or

after

January

31,

2027.

30

Sec.

4.

Section

423.3,

subsection

95,

paragraph

b,

31

subparagraph

(5),

Code

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

32

(5)

(a)

The

data

center

business

shall

register

with

33

the

department

as

a

data

center

business.

To

maintain

its

34

registration,

the

data

center

business

shall

file

an

annual

35

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report

with

the

department,

by

January

31,

2026,

and

by

each

1

January

31

thereafter.

The

annual

report

shall

describe

the

2

aggregate

sales

price

amount

of

backup

power

generation

fuel

3

and

electricity

purchased

in

the

previous

calendar

year

for

the

4

purposes

described

in

paragraph

“a”

,

subparagraphs

(2)

and

(3),

5

and

any

other

information

the

department

requires.

6

(b)

Beginning

with

an

annual

report

due

on

or

after

January

7

31,

2027,

the

annual

report

shall

also

contain

the

aggregate

8

sales

price

amount

of

exempt

property

purchased

under

paragraph

9

“a”

,

subparagraph

(1).

10

(c)

(i)

For

annual

reports

due

on

or

after

January

31,

11

2027,

the

department

of

revenue

shall

estimate

the

amount

of

12

tax

saved

under

this

subchapter

by

the

business

solely

based

13

upon

the

aggregate

sales

price

amounts

disclosed

in

the

annual

14

report.

15

(ii)

The

name

of

the

data

center

business

filing

the

annual

16

report

and

the

amount

of

estimated

tax

saved

that

is

described

17

in

this

subparagraph

division

shall

be

a

public

record

on

or

18

after

January

31,

2027.

19

Sec.

5.

Section

423.4,

subsection

7,

Code

2026,

is

amended

20

by

adding

the

following

new

paragraph:

21

NEW

PARAGRAPH

.

0g.

The

name

of

the

owner

of

a

data

center

22

business

and

the

annual

amount

of

sales

and

use

tax

refunds

23

that

are

provided

to

the

data

center

business

under

this

24

subsection

shall

be

considered

a

public

record

on

or

after

25

January

1,

2027.

26

Sec.

6.

Section

423.4,

subsection

8,

Code

2026,

is

amended

27

by

adding

the

following

new

paragraph:

28

NEW

PARAGRAPH

.

0h.

The

name

of

the

owner

of

a

data

center

29

business

and

the

annual

amount

of

sales

and

use

tax

refunds

30

that

are

provided

to

the

data

center

business

under

this

31

subsection

shall

be

considered

a

public

record

on

or

after

32

January

1,

2027.

33

Sec.

7.

2025

Iowa

Acts,

chapter

155,

section

4,

is

amended

34

to

read

as

follows:

35

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SEC.

4.

FINANCIAL

ASSISTANCE

REPORTING

——

ECONOMIC

1

DEVELOPMENT

AUTHORITY.

2

1.

The

economic

development

authority

shall

submit

an

3

annual

report

to

the

general

assembly

no

later

than

November

1,

4

2025,

that

details

the

amount

of

every

direct

loan,

forgivable

5

loan,

tax

credit,

tax

exemption,

tax

refund,

grant,

or

any

6

other

financial

assistance

awarded

to

a

person

during

the

prior

7

fiscal

year

by

the

authority

under

an

economic

development

8

program

administered

by

the

authority.

The

report

shall

9

identify

the

county

where

the

project

associated

with

each

such

10

award

is

located.

11

2.

Notwithstanding

any

other

Code

provision

to

the

12

contrary,

the

tax

incentives

described

in

subsection

1

that

13

are

provided

to

a

web

search

portal

business

or

a

data

center

14

business

shall

be

posted

and

maintained

on

the

economic

15

development

authority’s

internet

site

in

a

searchable

database

16

for

public

viewing

within

thirty

days

of

the

effective

date

of

17

this

subsection

of

this

Act.

The

searchable

database

shall

18

include

the

name

of

the

web

search

portal

business

or

data

19

center

business

and

the

aggregate

amount

of

tax

incentives

20

received

by

such

a

business

disclosed

in

the

report.

For

21

purposes

of

this

subsection,

“web

search

portal

business”

means

22

the

same

as

defined

in

section

423.3,

subsection

92

or

93,

and

23

“data

center

business”

means

the

same

as

defined

in

section

24

423.3,

subsection

95.

25

Sec.

8.

EFFECTIVE

DATE.

The

following,

being

deemed

of

26

immediate

importance,

takes

effect

upon

enactment:

27

The

section

of

this

Act

amending

2025

Iowa

Acts,

chapter

155,

28

section

4.

29

EXPLANATION

30

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

31

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

32

This

bill

relates

to

the

disclosure

of

tax

incentives

33

provided

to

web

search

portal

businesses

and

data

center

34

businesses

(business).

35

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Currently,

beginning

January

31,

2026,

and

by

each

1

January

31

thereafter,

a

business

receiving

sales

and

use

2

tax

incentives

is

required

to

file

an

annual

report

with

the

3

department

of

revenue

(DOR).

The

annual

report

shall

describe

4

the

aggregate

sales

price

amount

of

fuel

or

electricity

5

purchased

that

is

exempt

from

sales

and

use

tax

in

the

previous

6

calendar

year.

7

For

annual

reports

filed

on

or

after

January

31,

2027,

the

8

bill

requires

the

annual

report

to

contain

the

aggregate

sales

9

price

amount

of

all

items

exempt

from

sales

and

use

taxes

10

purchased

by

the

business.

The

bill

requires

DOR

to

estimate

11

the

amount

of

sales

and

use

taxes

saved

by

the

business

solely

12

based

upon

the

aggregate

sales

price

amounts

disclosed

in

13

the

annual

report

to

DOR

in

annual

reports

filed

on

or

after

14

January

31,

2027.

The

bill

specifies

the

name

of

the

business

15

and

the

amount

of

estimated

tax

saved

by

the

business

shall

be

16

a

public

record

on

or

after

January

31,

2027.

17

Currently,

a

business

is

entitled

to

a

sales

and

use

tax

18

refund

under

certain

circumstances

under

Code

section

423.4(7)

19

and

(8).

The

bill

makes

the

name

of

the

business

and

the

amount

20

of

such

a

refund

a

public

record

on

or

after

January

1,

2027.

21

The

bill

amends

2025

Iowa

Acts,

chapter

155,

section

4,

22

enacted

during

the

2025

legislative

session.

The

amendment

23

requires

the

economic

development

authority

to

aggregate

and

24

post

all

tax

incentives

provided

to

a

business

in

a

searchable

25

database

for

public

viewing

on

the

authority’s

internet

site

26

within

30

days

of

the

effective

date

of

this

provision.

The

27

provision

takes

effect

upon

enactment.

28

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