Senate President Jake Chapman released a video announcement on Monday putting Big Tech on notice in Iowa. Chapman said he will introduce legislation in the coming days that puts an ultimatum before companies like Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and Apple.
“They can choose to respect the freedom of thought and voice, or we will put an end to these generous tax breaks,” Chapman said. “Simply hiding behind the Communications Decency Act from liability may work at the federal level, but Iowa taxpayers will no longer foot the bill for their blatant disregard of our rights.”
Big Tech’s liberal agenda has been no secret, but Chapman said recent actions taken by these companies should “disturb” all of us.
“When these social media platforms proclaim to simply moderate speech, what they really mean is that they are suppressing political speech, and particularly conservative speech,” he said. “What they really mean is that they want to control what you hear and see. When Big Tech like Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and Apple squelch conservative speech, they undermine the very fabric of our nation.”
These same companies, though, receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks in our state. Apple alone, Chapman said, will receive more than $200 million in local and state tax breaks.
“Iowa will lead the charge, and hopefully other states will follow in proposing similar legislation,” Chapman said. “We won’t allow liberal executives from California or New York to silence your voice, your thoughts and your opinions.”