Apartment Industry Reiterates Call to Protect Rental Housing in any Carried Interest Tax Increase
WASHINGTON, DC – September 13, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) and the National Apartment Association (NAA) reiterate their calls to protect rental housing as lawmakers work toward enactment of a jobs bill.
The legislative language released by the Obama Administration once again includes a tax increase on carried interest[1] as a revenue raiser. NMHC/NAA remind lawmakers of the devastating effect such a tax increase would have on rental housing.
While this proposal is being marketed as a “tax increase on hedge fund managers and other rich Wall Street executives,” the truth is that real estate partnerships—and the estimated 550,000 workers employed by the apartment business and the 16 million Americans who rely on our industry to provide them with safe, decent affordable housing—will be very adversely affected by such a change.
Carried interest has been a fundamental part of real estate partnerships for decades. Increasing the taxes on carried interest would not only increase the cost of producing new housing, it would decrease the supply by making many deals financially unworkable.
A carried interest tax increase would have a devastating impact on our rental housing supply at a time when demand is increasing against the backdrop of a supply shortage.
It will also kill jobs and depress income for cities and counties. In recognition of the serious harm this legislation could have beyond Wall Street to “main street,” in 2010 both the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Association of Counties adopted official positions opposing it and urged Congress and the Administration to maintain current law as it relates to real estate partnerships.
“The apartment industry supports sound economic policy that helps restore job growth, but a tax increase on carried interest is bad for our economy and bad for our housing supply,” noted Cindy Vosper Chetti, NMHC/NAA Senior Vice President for Government Affairs.
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The National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) and National Apartment Association (NAA) operate a Joint Legislative Program and represent the nation’s leading firms participating in the multifamily rental housing industry. NMHC/NAA’s combined memberships are engaged in all aspects of the development and operation of apartment communities, including ownership, construction, finance and management. One-third of Americans rent their housing, and over 14 percent of all U.S. households live in an apartment home. For more information, contact NMHC at 202/974-2300, e-mail the Council at 
Contact:
Michael Tucker, 202/974-2360,
