" No Eviction Without Representation ( NEWR )" will make housing in Denver even more unaffordable
Here ' s why you should Vote NO on this Denver ballot initiative
No Eviction Without Representation ( NEWR ) is a $ 12 million tax increase set for the November 2022 City and County of Denver ballot .
� NEWR will slap a $ 75 annual excise tax on almost every rental unit in Denver , including apartments , townhomes , mobile homes and houses .
� NEWR ’ s $ 75 annual tax will increase each year by the metro area ’ s inflation rate — currently one of the highest in the nation .
� NEWR tax will be added to the cost of rent for tenants , making living in Denver even more expensive for the city ’ s workforce , seniors and families .
Massive tax increase : � NEWR will increase taxes by more than $ 12 million in the first — growing by the inflation rate every year after — and will create a new city commission and bureaucracy to find ways to spend this money on litigation and lawyers .
� NEWR will likely empower tenants to have disputes with their landlords and encourage lawyers to seek out disputes in order to tap into this litigation slush fund . o NEWR is unnecessary . Denver ’ s Department of Housing Stability already provides support and funding for legal representation to Denver residents at or below 80 % AMI who are facing eviction . Additional programs are available to individuals dealing with eviction and other tenant issues . o Denver ’ s eviction rates were 37.5 percent lower in the first six months of 2022 than 2019 and are considerably lower than the 20‐year average for the metro area .
Tax on renting in Denver : � NEWR tax would apply equally to all apartments in Denver , no matter if they are luxury units or affordable apartments . o This tax will especially increase the cost of housing for lower income residents and make affording
Denver even harder . � NEWR applies to almost all rental units , including nonprofit and government housing agencies . o There are very limited exemptions from this tax , primarily for family members renting from each other and short‐term rentals . Tax would apply to homes , townhomes and apartments .
Proponents out of sync : � NEWR is supported primarily by the Socialist Party of Colorado and ACLU ’ s New York City headquarters . � The measure has not been endorsed by Denver City Council or the Mayor ’ s Office and did not have any stakeholder feedback from the housing community . � This measure is being circulated as draft legislation for the 2023 legislative session . A similar version has passed in Boulder and proponents have discussed other cities like Aurora for this measure . We need to defeat this in Denver to prevent it from happening on a statewide level .
Common Sense Solutions for Denver Issue Committee :
� Common Sense Solutions for Denver is a coalition of business and civic leaders focused on ensuring that housing — including apartments — stay attainable so that Denver can continue to attract jobs and remain a vibrant city for all residents . o CSSD is working to build a broad‐based coalition of business , nonprofit , elected and community stakeholders to communicate its concern about NEWR .
For more information , please contact Bill Ray at 303‐885‐1881 or Erin Flores at 303‐565‐9502
PAID FOR BY COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS FOR DENVER | Katie Kennedy , Registered Agent